Sports
John Carroll Stomps Pios In Four Sets
By: Kellen Becoats
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Despite taking the third set against John Carroll, the Marietta College Pioneers fell in four sets and remained winless in Ohio Athletic Conference play Friday, 26-24, 25-14, 23-25 and 25-19.
The match seemed destined for a fifth set as the Pioneers (10-13) would not lie down in the fourth set, but the Blue Streaks (14-7) had other plans. After a decisive attack error by Keri Horton made the score 24-18 in John Carroll’s favor, it only took a kill by Blue Streaks middle blocker Leah Switalski to end the match.
The first set was competitive from the outset as multiple lead changes within the first few points left the teams in deadlock. The Blue Streaks took their first lead of the set at 7-6 and appeared to be running away with the game as they took a 15-12 lead and called timeout.
The Pioneers came out of the opposing team’s timeout strong, going on a 5-1 run. But John Carroll refused to lie down, mounting a late-game comeback to tie the game at 21. The Pioneers fought for points, but ultimately fell short of their goal and dropped a close set that they would later come to regret.
The second set was dominated by the Blue Streaks and Marietta came out of the match break looking to enact revenge.
Fighting not to lose in straight sets the Pioneers quickly established themselves on offense. Things were knotted up at 4-4 when John Carroll went on a 6-2 run, but Marietta fought back to make it 10-9.
The team’s effort would finally pay off as they took their first lead of the set 16-15. Looking down the losing end of a 19-15 deficit, John Carroll called timeout to try to right the ship.
The Blue Streaks looked strong coming out of the timeout and showed they weren’t out of it yet, tying the score at 20-20. It was close from there, but the Pioneers ground out their only set victory of the match.
Offensive production was a major problem for Marietta as it posted a team .084 kill percentage and a team total 38 kills while John Carroll converted on .127 kills and accumulated 52 total on the night.
Bright points for Marietta were sophomore right side hitter Keri Horton and junior setter Laura Mauer. Horton, the team leader in kills, recorded a team-high nine kills, three digs and a .133 kill percentage while Mauer snagged 31 assists and 11 digs.
Marietta looks to earn its first OAC win of the season at Muskingum University on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m.