RIPON, Wis. - Marian University women's volleyball (2-0, 0-0 NACC) defeated Martin Luther in five sets and Mount Mary in straight sets to open the season.
MARTIN LUTHER (27-25, 25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 16-14)
- The opening set went back-and-forth but a 5-2 run from Martin Luther late put the Knights ahead 24-22.
- The Sabres staved off two set points and a third at 25-24 before scoring three straight to take the opener.
- The second set saw MLC jump out to a slim 18-15 lead, but Marian had a strong finish going on a 9-2 spurt to lead 24-20.
- A service error from the Knights gave Marian a 2-0 lead.
- Another late rally from the Sabres saw Marian undo a five-point deficit late but the Knights took their first set of the match after scoring the final four points.
- The fourth set followed the script with MLC leading 21-15 only for Marian to climb back and only trail 22-20.
- The Knights were able to force a fifth set after scoring the final three points of the set.
- Marian finally had a strong start and led the fifth 7-2.
- It was MLC this time who was able to rally and found themselves ahead 14-12.
- After staving off two match points, Marian finished off a 4-0 run with a kill from sophomore Olivia Buol to earn a season-opening win.
MOUNT MARY (25-11, 25-20, 26-24)
- The thrill of the opening match of the Ripon College Classic may have had an impact on the Sabres as Marian trailed Mount Mary early 9-8.
- The Sabres were able to quickly battle back, however, going on a 9-2 run and cruising to a win in the first set.
- A quick start for Marian was crucial in the second as Marian held leads of 7-3 and 15-7.
- A back-and-forth finish to the set saw Marian hold another 2-0 lead.
- Mount Mary made things interesting in the third jumping out to an 11-5 lead.
- The rallying Sabres came back and eventually took the lead at 21-20.
- The Blue Angels wouldn't have a set-point opportunity and Marian used back-to-back kills from junior Harley Bartels to secure a sweep.
- Marian had a hefty advantage in kills for both matches at 62-47 against MLC and 29-16 against MMU.
- The Sabre defense held up its end with a 75-62 advantage in digs against MLC and 30-27 edge against Mount Mary.
- The Sabres had 22 service aces against the Blue Angels.
- Marian improves to 3-2 all-time against Martin Luther and 12-2 all-time against Mount Mary.
- The Sabres open the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2013 season.
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Junior Harley Bartels had 10 kills and hit .563 against Mount Mary. |
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Junior Alana McDermott had a match-high 22 digs against Martin Luther, the fifth match of her career with at least 20 digs. |
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Sophomore Ryanne Jasica had eight service aces and five kills against Mount Mary. |
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Saturday, August 31
Ripon, Wis.
10 a.m. / Noon |
