MARIETTA, Ohio – Senior Day at Ban Johnson Arena provided plenty of memorable moments Saturday afternoon, but visiting Baldwin Wallace University ultimately spoiled the celebration with a 3-2 (25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 22-25, 15-11) Ohio Athletic Conference victory over Marietta College. With the loss, the Pioneers drop to 15-10 overall and 4-4 in the OAC. The Yellow Jackets improved to 17-6 overall and 4-4 in the conference.
Prior to the match, Marietta honored its seven-member senior class of
AnnaBelle Hacker (Centerville, Ohio/Alter),
Emma Weiseman (Monroe, Ohio/Monroe),
Kendyl Cannon (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook),
Emily Grant (Dennison, Ohio/Claymont),
Kamryn Haynes (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown),
Jayden Austermiller (Peyton, Colo./Springs Studio for Academic Excellence), and
McKenzie Heil (Westlake, Ohio/Huron) for their contributions and dedication to the Pioneer volleyball program.
The opening set saw Baldwin Wallace jump out to a 4-1 lead, but Marietta settled in behind kills from
Emily Piehler (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and
Karly Launder (Pleasant City, Ohio/Meadowbrook). A Weiseman service ace helped the Pioneers close within 9-8. The Yellow Jackets gradually built a five-point cushion at 14-9 and later stretched their advantage to 17-10. Marietta refused to go away as Heil ignited a late rally with a kill and
Sarah Podkul's (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area) serve fueled a 4-0 run that cut the deficit to 21-20. Trailing 23-20 late in the set, Hacker recorded a pair of kills to keep the Pioneers within striking distance, but Baldwin Wallace secured the final point to take set one, 25-22.
The Yellow Jackets controlled the early stages of the second set, racing out to a 6-1 advantage behind strong serving from Morgan Kaylor. Marietta responded with a small push led by a Podkul ace and a Hacker kill to cut the deficit to 9-5. Cannon entered the match midway through the set and immediately made an impact, teaming with Hacker for a block and later recorded a pair of kills, helping trim the deficit to 17-14. The Pioneers continued battling as Heil, Piehler and Launder produced key kills, and Podkul's service run brought Marietta within 22-19. Baldwin Wallace answered with the final three points, including a kill and a Marietta attack error, to claim the second set 25-19.
Facing a must-win situation, the Pioneers delivered their most complete set of the afternoon. After falling behind 7-2, Marietta turned the momentum with its blocking effort. Hacker recorded back-to-back block assists, and the Pioneers rattled off a 6-0 run to take a 15-12 lead.
Kamryn Haynes (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown) highlighted the surge with a service ace, while Launder added several clutch kills. The Marietta block party continued throughout the frame as Hacker, Launder,
Karley Allwood (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth), and Heil combined for multiple rejections. Leading 21-14, Marietta received kills from Heil and Haynes before Launder delivered a service ace for set point. The Pioneers closed out the 25-18 set three victory when a Baldwin Wallace attack was rejected by Hacker.
The fourth set produced 11 ties and numerous momentum swings. Marietta started strong with three consecutive points, highlighted by a Heil-Allwood block and an
Elyse Smith (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East) service ace. Baldwin Wallace answered and eventually tied the score at 9-9 before the Pioneers used Weiseman's serving to string together four straight points and build a 13-9 lead. The Yellow Jackets battled back and eventually pulled even at 16-16. The teams continued to trade points throughout the middle portion of the set, but with the score deadlocked at 20, Smith delivered consecutive service points, including an ace, and then connected with Heil for back-to-back kills. An Allwood kill gave Marietta a 24-20 advantage. Baldwin Wallace fought off two set points, but a final Yellow Jacket attack error sealed a 25-22 set four Marietta victory and sent the Senior Day contest to a deciding fifth set.
The Yellow Jackets seized control early in the decisive set, capitalizing on several attack errors to build a 4-0 lead. Marietta regrouped behind kills from Allwood, Heil and Launder, trimming the margin to 10-8. Consecutive Pioneer blocks involving Hacker, Launder and Heil helped keep the hosts within striking distance. After another Hacker-Heil block made it 12-9, Marietta continued to press and closed within 14-11 following a block from Piehler and Hacker. However, Baldwin Wallace's Josie Lynn recorded the match-clinching kill to complete the 15-11 victory.
Launder paced the Pioneer attack with 14 kills and 17 digs, while Heil delivered 11 kills and five total blocks. Hacker contributed six kills and a match-high 12 total blocks. Smith collected 42 assists and three service aces. Defensively, Podkul totaled 27 digs and
Kamryn Haynes (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown) added 26 digs.
Marietta closes out the regular season on Thursday (Nov. 5) evening against Thiel College in a neutral-site matchup at Muskingum University. The Pioneers will then turn their attention to the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament, where they have secured the No. 5 seed and will travel to face No. 4 Mount Union in a first-round playoff match on the following Tuesday (Nov. 10) evening.
Fans can follow all of 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.
