GROVE CITY, Pa. - The Marietta College volleyball team was taken to the limit on several occasions but still swept a pair of matches on Friday (Sept. 18) on the first day of the Grove City/Westminster tournament. The Pioneers won a marathon matchup with host Grove City College 3-2 (17-25, 26-24, 23-25, 31-29, 15-12), and then defeated Case Western Reserve University 3-1 (25-21, 9-25, 25-26, 34-32).
In the opening matchup for Marietta, Grove City grabbed early momentum behind strong net play from Kendra Klusch and Sarah Hart. With the Pioneers down 17-13,
AnnaBelle Hacker (Centerville, Ohio/Alter) and
Karly Launder (Pleasant City, Ohio/Meadowbrook) provided kills to get them within one point, but Alayna Dorst sparked a late run to secure the opening set for the Wolverine, taking set one 25-17.
Marietta clawed back from a 19-14 deficit in set two behind key kills from
Emily Piehler (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and
Karley Allwood (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth). Marietta forced extra points late in the match with a pair of Allwood kills before drawing back-to-back attack errors from Grove City to tie the match, taking set two 26-24.
Grove City rebounded in another back and forth frame. Midway through the set, the Wolverines scored four straight, two off of kills from Klusch, to lead 15-12. Marietta turned the tables with a five-point rally of their own, getting some key kills from the front line and a late service ace from
Keatyn Haynes (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown) to take a 23-19 lead. Grove City, though, would make a late run with Lilly Wojtala's serving and a final kill by Dorst to finish off set three 25-23.
A wild fourth set featured multiple tiebreaks and lead changes, although Marietta lead 12-5 at one point.
Kendyl Cannon (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) and Piehler traded kills with Grove City's attack. The Wolverines were able to erase an eight-point deficit with a large rally to cut the lead to one and later in the set, found themselves leading 23-21, putting Marietta's backs to the wall. After some traded points, Marietta got a rally when they needed as Cannon tied it with a big kill.
Keatyn Haynes (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown) took the lead with an ace and Hacker finished the marathon set with a kill and the Pioneers took set four 31-29.
The Pioneers carried their momentum into the tiebreaker, building an 8-5 cushion off a Launder ace. Grove City closed within two, but Hacker dominated the final moments with a clutch kill and a match-ending block alongside
Elyse Smith (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East) to take set five, 15-12.
Piehler led the attack with 19 kills for the Pioneers. Hacker added 10 kills with a game-high nine blocks. Launder also had 10 kills and provided 18 digs. Smith led with 40 assists and
Kamryn Haynes (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown) led a sparkling defensive effort with 35 digs.
The Wolverines fell to 8-3 on the season overall.
In the second matchup, Marietta College and Case Western Reserve battled back and forth in the first set, but the Spartans held a late 21-19 lead. Smith took over for Marietta at the service line and sparked a game-ending 6-0 run that featured back-to-back aces, alongside key kills from Piehler and Cannon, to steal the opening set, 25-21.
The Spartans responded emphatically, using a 6-0 serving run by Piper Starling and a dominant mid-set run led by Maya Zarow. CWRU capitalized on Pioneer attack errors to quickly equalize the match with a 25-9 set two victory.
Marietta regained its rhythm midway through the third set. Holding a tight 10-9 lead, Smith served another extended run to extend the margin to 15-9. Finishes by Piehler, Launder, and Hacker comfortably sealed set three, 25-16
Set four turned into an epic, back-and-forth battle featured non-stop side-outs through extra points. CWRU staved off multiple match points behind kills from Sienna Olson and Maya Zarow. Tied at 32-32, a Spartan service error gave Marietta match point, and
Kamryn Haynes (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown) set up
Emily Piehler (Medina, Ohio/Medina) for the match-winning kill. 34-32.
Piehler again led the Pioneers with 15 kills. Hacker added 10 kills and six blocks. Smith led Marietta with 36 assist, 15 digs, and five aces.
With the loss, the Spartans fell to 5-5 on the season. With the pair of victories, Marietta improves to 8-4 on the season. The Pioneers will move on Westminster College on Saturday (Sept 21) for another pair of matchups. Marietta will take on Saint Vincent College in a non-conference, neutral-site contest at 2 p.m. and then battle host Westminster College at 4 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.
