Marietta volleyball tops rival Muskingum 3-2 on Fenton Court
Pioneers and Muskies Dig For the Cure

Oct. 7, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College freshman outside hitter Alex Weissling (Dublin/Dublin Scioto) delivered clutch, back-to-back services aces to swing the momentum in favor of the Pioneers and propel them to a 3-2 (25-18, 21-25, 27-25, 15-25, 15-13) victory over rival and visiting Muskingum College Tuesday (Oct. 7) night at Ban Johnson Arena. The victory improved Marietta's record to 13-9 overall and 1-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Fighting Muskies fell to 16-4 overall and 0-2 in league play.

Weissling toed the service line with Marietta trailing 12-10 in game five and with Muskingum carrying the momentum from a mid-game run and a game-four victory. She quickly turned the tide, however, with a pair of jump-served aces to knot the game up at 12. After a Muskies' timeout, the visitors were able to take a one-point advantage before Pioneers' sophomore outside hitter Kelly Schoener (Dublin/Dublin Scioto) tied the game at 13 with a kill. Schoener and senior middle hitter Sarah Vadaj (Streetsboro/Kent Roosevelt) then combined to put Marietta on the doorstep of victory with a block at the net. The Pioneers clinched the win one point later after a Muskies attack error.

Marietta and Muskingum split the first four games with the Pioneers taking games one and three and the Muskies capturing games two and four. Muskingum used an 11-0 run in the fourth game to send the match to a fifth and deciding game. Marietta improved to 4-2 when the match goes five games and 8-4 at home.

The Pioneers were led offensively by freshman right side hitter Meredith Storey (Olmsted Falls) and Weissling, who finished with 19 kills each. For Storey, her effort was a new career high, while Weissling collected four service aces. Schoener also added 12 kills, while freshman middle blocker Jessie Blackley (Aurora) had eight kills. Senior setter Caity Shirk (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) dished out 54 assists to give her 2,607 assists in her career.

The Marietta defense had five players finish with double-digit digs. Junior libero Becca Holzworth (North Olmsted) finished with a game-high 24 digs. Weissling added 21 digs, while junior defensive specialist Katy Williams (Richmond, Ind.) had 17 digs, Shirk contributed 14 digs and senior defensive specialist Brittany Papili (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) finished with 13 digs. Vadaj also added four block assists in the win.

Muskingum's offense was paced by Jessica McKenzie with 16 kills, while Gretchen Van der Sluijs added 11 kills and Diana Biller had 10 kills to go along with six block assists. Katherine Tuttle finished with 28 assists and Lindsey Worthington had 20 more. In addition, Nicole Biblis added a team-best 22 digs, and Allie Buckohr contributed 19 digs in the loss.

While the two teams were battling on the court for their first OAC win of the season, they were also working together to Dig For the Cure. Marietta and Muskingum partnered with the Columbus chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in an effort to raise awareness and funds to help fight the cause of breast cancer. While the official total will not be known until later this week, Marietta's team has already brought in over $2,400.

The Pioneers will look to carry the momentum on the road Saturday (Oct. 11) afternoon when they travel to Ada, Ohio, for a 1 p.m. match-up with #10 Ohio Northern University.