Sports
Marietta Volleyball Falls To Ohio Northern In Four Sets
By: Kellen Becoats
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Marietta College (11-14, 1-4 OAC) stayed competitive from the beginning, even snagging a close win in the third set, but the Pioneers ultimately fell to the proficient offense of the Ohio Northern Polar Bears (15-7, 4-1 OAC) in four sets, 25-22, 25-19, 23-25 and 25-12.
Marietta had a poor offensive showing Friday, posting a combined 41 kills and a team kill percentage of .074, compared to the Polar Bears’ 54 kills and .170 kill percentage.
The third set saw a major improvement for the Pioneers’ offense, as they totaled 16 kills and caused six lead changes to come from a 16-10 deficit and grind out the win.
The final kills of the set came off the hands of sophomore right side hitter Keri Horton and junior middle blocker Chloe Jansen, but that was the Pioneers’ only win of the night.
In the fourth, it seemed like everything Marietta had done well in the previous set fell apart, as they grabbed only seven kills and six errors while recording a .033 percentage.
The Pioneers competed well throughout the first set, forcing seven tied scores and four lead changes, but they forced neither in the second set, as they were behind the entire time.
Offensive leaders for Marietta included junior middle blocker Rachel Hackenberg and senior outside hitter Paige DeVriendt, who each had nine kills. DeVriendt also contributed three digs, while Hackenberg averaged a .129 kill percentage. Junior setter Laura Mauer also contributed 34 assists.
Sophomore Mary Ervin led the Pioneer defense with 22 digs, along with senior Amber Wiley, who had 20 digs, and Hackenberg and Janson, who had three blocks each.
Marietta will look to improve its OAC record with a home game against Capitol University on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. Capitol (13-11, 1-3 OAC) is coming off a straight sets win over Wilmington College and plays No. 9 Mount Union on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 4 p.m.