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ALLIANCE - The Marietta College volleyball team was swept in a pair of matches on Friday on the first day of the Mount Union Invitational Volleyball tournament. The Pioneers stayed close but dropped a matchup in straight sets to DePauw University 3-0 (23-25, 24-26, 22-25), and then fell to Carnegie Mellon University 3-1 (27-25, 15-25, 17-25, 18-25).
In the opening matchup, Marietta faced an early setback, falling behind the Tigers 9-4. However, the Pioneers narrowed the margin behind kills from Emily Piehler, Karly Launder, and Kendyl Cannon. They then pulled within a single point following a three-point run that culminated in a hard-driven kill by Karley Allwood. DePauw responded by taking five of the subsequent seven points to extend their lead to 21-17. Marietta regained possession after a kill from AnnaBelle Hacker and promptly cut the deficit back to one point with back-to-back service aces from Launder. Facing a three-point deficit late in the frame, the Pioneers mounted another comeback. A kill from Launder along with crucial block from Piehler, Allwood, and Hacker brought the score to a 23-23 tie. Despite the rally, the Tigers secured the final two points to capture the opening set, 25-23.
DePauw took early control of the second set, building a 15-8 lead before kills from Launder and Hacker helped Marietta stem the Tigers’ momentum. Trailing 19-13, the Pioneers mounted an eight-point surge--sparked by a pair of Cannon kills--to steal the lead. However, a pair of critical attack errors by Marietta allowed DePauw to level the score at 21-21. The Tigers then secured four of the final five points, narrowly outlasting the Pioneers to claim set two, 26-24.
The Tigers established an early 13-7 lead in the third set, but Marietta rallied once more. Driven by three kills each from Allwood and Piehler, along with a five-point run sparked by two kills from Cannon, the Pioneers leveled the score at 21-21 late in the set. However, consecutive attack errors late in the game cost Marietta, allowing DePauw to seal the match 25-22 on a final kill by Madeline Ozersky.
Piehler led the Marietta offense with 11 kills and also provided three blocks. Launder finished with 10 kills and eight digs. Allwood led with six blocks and Hacker had five in the matchup. Jayden Austermiller led with 17 assists and added nine digs. Kamryn Haynes led the defensive effort with a team high 17 digs.
In the second matchup of the day, the Pioneers took the first set from the Tartans before dropping the final three sets, falling. 3-1. With the loss, the Pioneers drops to 1-2 on the season.
Marietta opened the first set by scoring five unanswered points, powered by kills from Allwood and Piehler, though Carnegie Mellon remained within striking distance. Additional kills from Hacker, Piehler, and McKenzie Heil briefly widened Marietta’s advantage, but the Tartans mounted a surge by claiming six of the following seven possessions to capture the lead. After a stretch of traded possessions, Marietta put together a four-point run -- highlighted by a Launder kill and a service ace from freshman Keatyn Haynes -- to regain a 19-18 lead. The two squads swapped the lead five times across the subsequent points until back-to-back kills from Kate Giang brought CMU to set point. Heil responded with a crucial kill to draw even, and Marietta capitalized on consecutive Tartan attack errors to pull out a 27-25 victory in set one.
Marietta established an early 6-2 lead in the second set, powered by two kills from Cannon, but Carnegie Mellon University rallied to level the score at 7-7. Kills by Hacker and Heil temporarily pushed the Pioneers back in front. However, the Tartans quickly regained control, expanding their lead through a 7-0 run fueled by four service aces from Brynn Shears. Unable to turn the momentum around, the Pioneers dropped set two by a score of 25-15.
Trailing again in the third set, the Pioneers struggled to build momentum. After falling behind 15-9 early on, they narrowed the gap to three points following a kill from Hacker and a service ace by Kamryn Haynes. However, CMU responded later in the set with a five-point run to reach game point, ultimately securing a 25-17 victory on a set-ending kill by Logan Devereux.
With their backs to the wall, the Pioneers jumped out to a 6-4 lead, but lost four straight point to trail by two. Allwood provided a pair of kills to put the Marietta back in the lead, but CMU answered by winning five of the next seven possessions to regain the lead. Late in the match, Carnegie Mellon went on a five-point rally to expand the lead and Marietta could do little to slow it down. The Tartans would never relinquish the lead, taking set four, 25-18.
Allwood led the Pioneers with nine kills. Launder collected eight kills and 16 digs. Hacker finished with seven kills and led with four blocks. Allwood finished with five kills and led with five blocks. Elyse Smith finished with 26 assists and Kamryn Haynes led with 18 digs.
Marietta will play on Saturday during day two of the tournament. The Pioneers will battle former conference foe John Carroll at 12 p.m. and then will follow with Chatham University at 2 p.m.