NEW CONCORD, Ohio – Marietta College closed out its regular season non-conference schedule in impressive fashion Thursday afternoon, defeating Thiel College 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-19) in a neutral site matchup on the campus of Muskingum University.
The opening set was a battle from start to finish, featuring six ties and four lead changes. Marietta used an early 4-0 run to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 advantage. The stretch included consecutive Thiel attacking errors and helped the Pioneers establish control early. Kills from
McKenzie Heil (Westlake, Ohio/Huron),
AnnaBelle Hacker (Centerville, Ohio/Alter),
Karly Launder (Pleasant City, Ohio/Meadowbrook), and
Emily Piehler (Medina, Ohio/Medina) pushed Marietta ahead 10-7 midway through the frame. The Tomcats answered with a momentum-shifting 7-0 run. Behind the serving of Arin DeLattre, Thiel erased a three-point deficit and surged in front 17-13. Facing a four-point hole, Marietta steadily chipped away. Heil recorded a pair of kills and Hacker added another as the Pioneers stayed within striking distance. Thiel still led 21-17 before Marietta produced the decisive comeback. Trailing 21-18, the Pioneers scored three straight points on a Thiel ball-handling error and consecutive attack errors by the Tomcats to tie the set at 21-21.
Karley Allwood (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) then delivered one of the biggest plays of the set with a kill to knot the score at 23-all. Allwood then teamed up for a block that gave Marietta set point. The Pioneers closed the frame moments later when Thiel's Addilyn Vagi attacked wide, securing a 25-23 set one victory.
After the teams traded points through the opening stages of set two, the Pioneers broke open a 5-4 match with a five-point surge. Hacker recorded a pair of kills helping Marietta built a 9-4 lead. Piehler remained a constant offensive threat, recording kills that helped stretch the advantage to 12-5. The Pioneers continued to pressure the Tomcats defensively and created separation with another key run. Heil sparked the offense with three kills during a five-point stretch that pushed the margin to 19-10. Back-to-back blocks by Launder and Hacker stifled the Tomcat attack late in the set, giving Marietta a commanding 22-12 advantage. Launder added a kill for set point at 24-13, and another Thiel attack error sealed a convincing set two 25-14 win.
After Thiel grabbed a brief 3-2 lead in set three, Launder and Hacker answered with kills to help the Pioneers regain control. Marietta gradually built an 8-5 edge before the Tomcats battled back to stay within striking distance. Piehler and Heil continued to carry the attack during the middle stages of the set. Kills from Launder helped Marietta move ahead 16-10, creating its largest lead of the afternoon. The Tomcats refused to go away, stringing together several points and cutting the deficit to 22-18. Allwood delivered a kill to stop the momentum and Piehler then powered home another kill for match point. On the final point, Allwood found Launder for the match-clinching kill, sending the Pioneers to a 25-19 victory and completing the three-set sweep.
Piehler led the Marietta offense with 12 kills, while Launder added eight kills and 14 digs. Hacker added seven kills.
Elyse Smith (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East) directed the attack with 24 assists, 10 digs, and a service ace.
Sarah Podkul (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area) collected nine digs and
Kamryn Haynes (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown) contributed eight digs.
With the victory, the Pioneers completed the regular season with a record of 16-10 overall. They will now turn their attention back to conference play as Marietta prepares for the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The fifth-seeded Pioneers will travel to face the University of Mount Union on Tuesday (Nov. 10) evening. The matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. start time.
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.
