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| Anna Medema |
MARIETTA, Ohio – The College of Wooster volleyball team was unable to sustain the momentum from its strong closing run in set one, plus a phenomenal start to set two, as host Marietta College rallied back to take sets two, three, and four to down the Fighting Scots 19-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-13 on Tuesday evening at Ban Johnson Arena.
Wooster (7-10) scored 14 consecutive points, with that positive stretch starting at the tail end of the opening set. Brooke Trimble's block had just pulled Marietta (11-8) within 20-19, and the Pioneers attempt to tie the set misfired and resulted in an attack error. Junior Meghan Botsch saw an opening after a pass from first-year Maley Tinstman, and the Fighting Scots' setter dumped a kill onto the Pioneers' side of the court which bumped the lead out to 22-19. First-year Emily Gail keyed the closing points with a pair of kills.
Senior Anna Medema served up back-to-back aces, as Wooster rattled off nine unanswered points to start the second set. Sophomore Katie Billetdeaux helped the cause with a pair of kills in the opening stretch, while Medema went on to chalk up four kills and four digs in the frame. Marietta's surge later in the set was led by the likes of Alissa Ginther, Becca Phelps, and Sam Ritenour, who had four kills apiece.
Botsch's fourth kill of the match pulled Wooster within 10-8 in the third set, and a block by Billetdeaux and sophomore Seven Townsel cut the Scots' deficit to 11-7 in the final frame.
Medema's 12 digs marked the political science major's career-high, and the senior backed that up with 10 kills for her first collegiate double-double. Gail and sophomore Brooke Swain were right behind in the kills' department with nine each, while first-year Sydney Fitzcharles (18) and Tinstman (10) joined Medema with double-digit digs.
Phelps and Ritenour tallied a co-match-high 11 kills, while Makayla Schilling's 16 digs led the Pioneers.
Next, Wooster (1-1 North Coast Athletic Conference) resumes league action at DePauw University (10-5, 2-0 NCAC) on Saturday, October 5. First serve is set for noon.