MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team got back to their winning ways as they defeated conference foe Muskingum University, 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 21-25, 25-18) on Wednesday (Oct. 22) evening at the Ban Johnson Arena.  With the win the Pioneers improved to 14-5 overall and stayed undefeated at 5-0 in Ohio Athletic Conference play, and with the loss Muskingum falls to 15-9 overall and 3-2 in the OAC.   
 
"Tonight was a great bounce back from Saturday," said Marietta head coach Kristy Anderson.  "It was awesome to see us play as a unit and push through the deficit and set for to come back in one!"
 
Marietta started quickly they jumped out to 5-1 lead, getting kills from Karley Allwood (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) and McKenzie Heil (Westlake, Ohio/Huron).  Mackenzie Krous and Maddie Ferrell brought the Muskies back with a pair of kills apiece, getting Muskingum to within one point of the lead.  Marietta scored five of the next six points, with two kills from Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington), to extend the advantage to 14-9.  Later in the set, the Pioneers scored a mini rally, with the help of some Muskingum attack errors, to put the lead at 21-14.  Muskingum inched back but could not overcome the difference.  Emory Spitler's (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) skip set attack finished the set and the Pioneers claimed the set one victory, 25-20.    

Marietta jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second set as Karley Launder caught fire delivering on a pair of kills.  Muskingum took the next four points and took their first lead of the evening, 7-6.  The Pioneers grabbed the lead back as Fellers scored a pair of kills and Shannon delivered a pair of aces, leading 14-10.  The Pioneers took control of the set as they scored seven straight points, fueled by kills from Piehler and Launder, and led by seven.  The Muskies mustered a few points in return, but Marietta closed it out with kills from Launder and Spitler, and won set two 25-17.
 
The third set saw both teams battle back and forth, but Muskingum slipped out to a 13-8 lead getting a pair of key kills each from Emma Johnson.  The Pioneers tried to inch back, but the Muskies took three of four points, two from kills by Adelynn Rusek, to lead by five late in the match.  Marietta cut the deficit to two with another two aces from Shannon, but could not close the gap as both teams traded the next several points.  Muskingum benefited from a Pioneer service error to put it at set point, and claimed set three with a service ace, winning 25-21.  

Muskingum got off to a quick 5-0 lead in set four, keyed by a trio of kills from Johnson, and Marietta closed the gap with a pair of Piehler kills to get within one point of the lead.  Later in the match, with Muskingum leading 16-15, Marietta scored on six straight possessions, getting a key co-block by Launder and AnnaBelle Hacker (Centerville, Ohio/Alter) and a powerful kill from Hacker.  The Muskies got a couple more points but could not answer the Pioneer pressure.  Spitler once again finished off the set with a kill and Pioneers claimed the set and the match with a 25-18.
 
The Pioneers were led by Launder with 13 kills and Piehler with 11 kills and 5 blocks.  Fellers added nine kills, four blocks, and 18 digs.  Spitler distributed 44 assists and Shannon led the team with 22 digs and seven aces.

Marietta will return to the court Friday (Oct. 24) as they host Baldwin Wallace University, with the match scheduled for 7 p.m.           

Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.