Sports

Pioneers Earn First Win Of Season, Split Doubleheader


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After dropping its first two matches of the 2013 season, the Marietta College volleyball team looked to notch its first victory in a double-header at the Sommer Center Spiketacular hosted by Bluffton University Aug. 31. The Pioneers (1-3) dropped their first contest to No. 5 Hope College (3-0) in straight sets (12-25, 17-25, 13-25), but bounced back and defeated host Bluffton University (0-3) in straight sets (25-14, 25-20, 27-25).

Hope College displayed its top-five dominance in the first match and exposed the inexperience of the Pioneers.

As a team, Marietta committed 17 errors while forcing the Flying Dutch to commit merely 10. The force of errors was due in part to the offensive governance of Hope College.

The Flying Dutch closed the match with 36 kills and eight aces while the Pioneers were held to 22 kills and zero aces. Senior hitter Mari Schoolmaster led the way for the Dutch with 11 kills. Defensively, each team notched 40 digs.

After a short break, Marietta bounced back to grab its first victory of the 2013 season against Bluffton. The Pioneers handled Bluffton in the first two sets and trailed 21-13 in the third set, however they sprouted a 14-4 run to sweep the Beavers.

The Pioneers played more as a team in the second contest as they spread out the attack. Sophomore hitter Kennedy Clyde had a game-high nine kills while sophomore hitter Keri Horton and sophomore blocker Chloe Janson added eight kills apiece.

Collectively, junior setter Laura Mauer dished out a team-high 43 assists in the doubleheader while Clyde slammed 16 kills.

The Pioneers look to put together a winning streak as they host their annual River City Classic Sept. 6-8. Marietta will face Bethany College in its home opener Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. at Ban Johnson Arena.