Pioneers finish 1-1 on final day of Seahawk Invitational
Marietta falls 3-0 to #22 Salisbury and defeats Neumann 3-1

Oct. 25, 2008
ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. — The Marietta College volleyball team closed out its non-conference schedule on Saturday (Oct. 25) morning with two more matches at the Seahawk Invitational, hosted by St. Mary's (Md.) College. The Pioneers began the day with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-18) loss to #22 Salisbury University. Marietta then bounced back to defeat Neumann (Pa.) College 3-1 (25-15, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22) to finish the tournament 2-2 and improve its overall record to 15-16 on the season.

Marietta's freshman outside hitter Alex Weissling (Dublin/Dublin Scioto) led the offense with 13 kills against Salisbury. Senior setter Caity Shirk (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) finished with 24 assists, while senior defensive specialist Brittany Papili (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) and senior middle blocker Sarah Vadaj (Streetsboro/Kent Roosevelt) added two service aces in the match. Defensively, junior libero Becca Holzworth (North Olmsted) paced the team with 18 digs, while freshman middle blocker Jessie Blackley (Aurora) had three total blocks.

Freshman right side hitter Meredith Storey (Olmsted Falls) had a team-high 14 kills against Neumann. Sophomore outside hitter Kelly Schoener (Dublin/Dublin Scioto) added 10 kills, while Weissling finished with eight kills to go along with three service aces. Senior defensive specialist Emily Wheatley (Wyoming) also had three aces in the win. Holzworth collected 21 digs to lead the defense, while Shirk and Blackley both had three total blocks in the match.

Marietta is back in action on Tuesday (Oct. 28). The Pioneers will look inch closer to a spot in the upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament with a win over host Wilmington College. The match will begin at 7 p.m.