Marietta volleyball finishes 1-1 on first day of Pioneer Classic
Pioneers defeat Salem 3-0 and fall to Ohio Dominican 3-1

Sept. 19, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team continued it 2008 season on Friday (Sept. 19) evening by playing host to Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Valley (W.Va.) University and Salem (N.C.) College for the Pioneer Classic on Fenton Court. The Pioneers opened the four-team tournament with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-19) victory over Salem. Marietta then fell 3-1 (25-15, 25-27, 25-22, 25-17) to Ohio Dominican to move its overall record to 9-6 on the season.

The Pioneers made quick work of the Spirits (3-9) in the first match, out-hitting them .246 to .098 in the win. Freshman outside hitter Alex Weissling (Dublin/Dublin Scioto), who was seeing her first action since the opening weekend due to an injury, paced the team will 12 kills in just two games. Freshman outside hitter Nancy Boscarello (Seven Hills/Normandy) and freshman right side hitter Elizabeth Robbe (Crystal Falls, Mich./Forest Park) added seven and six kills, respectively in their first extended time on the floor this season.

Senior setter Caity Shirk (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) handed out 13 assists and had 10 digs, while freshman setter Lauren Litts (Chardon) came in to dish out 26 assists and had five digs. In addition, senior defensive specialist Brittany Papili (Wilmington, Del/St. Elizabeth) finished with a team-high three service aces, and junior libero Becca Holzworth (North Olmsted) had 20 digs in the win.

Marietta did not have the same success against Ohio Dominican (6-6), losing in four games. Freshman outside hitter Jaimie Hartline (North Canton/Glen Oak) led the offensive attack with 11 kills, while freshman right side hitter Meredith Storey (Olmsted Falls), sophomore outside hitter Kelly Schoener (Dublin/Dublin Scioto) and senior middle blocker Sarah Vadaj (Streetsboro/Kent Roosevelt) all contributed eight kills in the loss. Shirk finished the game with 38 assist to increase her career total to 2,367, which is just 23 shy of passing Laura Hindel '00 for third all-time.

The Pioneer defense had three players finish with double-digit digs, led by Holzworth with a game-high 22 to go along with three service aces. In addition, Shirk added a 19 digs and Weissling had 12 digs.

Marietta is back in action on Saturday (Sept 20) morning when it plays Ohio Valley in the third game of the Pioneer Classic. Action begins at 10:30 a.m. Live stats will be available at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/livestats/xlive.htm. The matches will also be carried live by WMRT-FM 88.3 at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html. The tournament will then close with a championship game and consolation game at 12:30 p.m.

Friday's Scores
Marietta def. Salem 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-19)
Ohio Dominican def. Ohio Valley 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-14)
Ohio Dominican def. Marietta 3-1 (25-15, 25-27, 25-22, 25-17)
Ohio Valley def. Salem 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-17)