Box Score Millersville, Pa. - The Marauder volleyball team needed to win to clinch a berth in the PSAC Tournament and did just that. Millersville took down Kutztown in a five-set thriller on senior day Saturday afternoon.
The Marauders (16-13, 11-9 PSAC) posted a hitting percentage of .286 to avenge an earlier season loss to the Golden Bears (12-18, 6-13 PSAC) They defeated Kutztown with set scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-27, 21-25, and 16-14.
Millersville opened the first set on a 10-2 run that was fueled by two kills from Rebecca Roman and one kill apiece from five different Marauders. The Golden Bears scored 15 of the next 21 points to take the lead back 17-16. Millersville scored four of the next six to go back up 20-19 and forced a timeout by the away team. The Marauders closed the set on a 5-2 run to win the set 25-21.
The second set started with a 5-2 run by the visitors but Millersville answered right back. The hosts scored seven of the next eight points to take a 9-6 advantage. Brooklyn Smith supported the run with two service aces. Kutztown tied the score up five times with the final one coming at 21-21. The Marauders scored four of the final five points to take the set 25-22.
The Golden Bears began the third set on a 5-1 run and held their lead until Millersville was finally able to tie the set at 23-23. The Marauders kept battling and took a 25-24 lead. That wasn't enough though as Kutztown scored the final three points to take the set 27-25.
Millersville scored four of the first five points to begin the fourth set and didn't relinquish its lead until the Golden Bears went up 19-18. The Marauders scored the next two points to regain a one-point advantage before Kutztown used a 6-1 run to win the set 25-21 and even the match up at two sets apiece.
A 4-1 run by the visitors was how the fifth and deciding set began. Millersville tied the set up twice at 5-5 and 6-6 but the Golden Bears held steady with a lead of 9-6. Marauder head coach Brian Smith then called a timeout to talk things over. The timeout was just what Millersville needed as it scored six of the next seven points to take a 12-10 lead. Kayla Wallace tallied two kills to fuel the run. Kutztown tied the score up twice before the Marauders took the set 16-14 and the match three sets to two.
Katie Lesinski posted a red-hot hitting percentage of .286 and tallied a career-high 20 kills to lead the offense for Millersville. Kayla Wallace and Rebecca Roman each sent home 13 kills apiece. Those 13 are a season-high for Wallace. The final Marauder to record double digit kills was Emily Kaledas with 11, which is a season-high for her as well. Jessica Franz aided the offense with 33 assists while Erika Smith added a career-high 26 helpers. On defense, Brooklyn Smith led the way with 23 digs. Lesinski and Taylor Smith each dug out 11 attacks. Mary Paul tallied four block assists to become Millersville's career leader in that category with 245.
The Marauders currently own the three-seed in the Eastern Division with two matches to play. Millersville is at Pitt-Johnstown on Nov. 15 (7 p.m.) and at Lock Haven on Nov. 16 (4 p.m.)
