Johnstown, Pa. - In their second PSAC Crossover this season, Millersville fell to Clarion in straight sets (25-17, 25-19, 25-19), before edging out IUP in five sets (19-25, 25-17, 25-17, 22-25, 15-6).

Millersville's offense struggled mightily against Clarion as the Marauders posted a season-worst attack percentage of .078. Faring better against IUP, the Marauders had three players record double digit kills in Katie Witwer, Rhianna Kalescky and Erin Harman (15, 13, 10). Kalescky led all Marauder on the night with 22 kills while Grace Daweson totaled 58 assists in the two matches.  Senior Brooklyn Smith recorded 38 digs and 12 assists in the Millersville split. Defensively, Emily Kaledas led the Marauders with four total block assists.

Clarion 3, Millersville 0 (Match Highlights)
The first set was closely contested early as the two teams traded points. Clarion started the game with three points before committing two consecutive errors to make the score 3-2.  The Eagles responded by taking four of the next five points to put some distance between the two squads (7-3). Later in the set and trailing by five, Millersville took a timeout and came out refreshed scoring three points in a row and cutting the deficit to two, forcing Clarion to take a timeout of their own. Out of the Eagles timeout, Clarion struck first before Rhianna Kalsecky sent home one of her four kills to make the score 17-15. It was here however, that Clarion took control recording five of the next six points, four of which came by way of the kill.  Clarion finished off the Marauders with a kill by Abby Cox to take the first set 25-17. 

In the second set, Millersville looked to respond, taking the early lead 7-6 courtesy of kills from Kalescky, Harman and Witwer.  Staying close, Clarion knotted the set at 7 and proceeded to take three of the next four points, forcing a Millersville timeout. Even though Clarion would hold onto their lead, the Marauders would not go quietly, keeping the deficit to two points as late as 14-12. The Eagles began to pull away, recording four points in a row and forcing a Millersville timeout. Harman and the Marauders responded, recording a kill and serving for three points to make the score 18-15. But just as they did in the first set, Clarion halted the Marauders charge with a spree of kills to extend their lead to 7 (23-16) before ultimately finishing the set 25-19 on a Gabrielle Olson kill.

Hoping to stay alive, the Marauders began the third set 2-0 by a Kalescky kill and a Clarion error. After the Eagles tied up the score at two points apiece, Clarion and Millersville traded the next few scores making the score 5-4 in favor of the Eagles before Clarion reeled off six straight points and took a commanding 11-4 lead. Trailing by nine (14-5), the Marauders mounted a comeback that was aided by four Clarion errors and cut the deficit to just six (16-10). Millersville returned the favor, committing three straight errors of their own before Kalescky sent home a kill to stop the skid at 19-11. Despite kills from Harman and Dawson late, Clarion's Mackenzie Biggs and Marissa Robinson dominated the end of the set, recording five of the last six Eagles points by way of the kill.

Millersville 3, IUP 2 (Match Highlights)
In the first set against the Crimson Hawks, Millersville and IUP traded points early as the score was tied nine times in the first 18 points.  With the score knotted at 9, IUP began to take control, recording seven of the next eight points to make the score 16-10. The Marauders began to creep back into the match as Witwer and Harman each sent home a pair of kills and cut the lead to two at 19-17. After Alexis Anderson recorded a kill for the Crimson Hawks, Millersville took a timeout and were rewarded as Kelsi Ceriana responded with a kill of her own making the score 20-18 in favor of IUP. It was here when the Crimson Hawks began to dominate at the net as three of their last five points came via the kill, taking the set 25-19.

The second set began much like the first as the two teams went back and forth before the Marauders jumped out to an early lead (7-4) as Witwer sent home a pair of kills.  IUP responded to tie the score up at 11 as Natalie Cignetti recorded two kills before the Crimson Hawks committed a trio of errors and the Marauders tallied a trio of kills extending their lead to six (17-11) and forcing IUP to take a timeout.  Millersville did not take its foot off the gas though, as Witwer tallied three of her match-high eight kills down the stretch to give the Marauders the set 25-17.

In the third and pivotal set, IUP jumped out to a 6-3 lead before Millersville battled back tying the score before taking a 10-7 lead in a streak that was aided by six consecutive Crimson Hawk errors. The Marauders extended their as four different players sent home kills giving Millersville a 17-14 lead. IUP never got closer as the Marauders continued to dominate at the net as Witwer, Harman, and Kalescky all recorded three kills and Millersville took set 25-17.

Looking to stay alive and force a fifth set, IUP led Millersville by a score of 8-6 before the Marauders began to take control when Kalescky recorded back-to-back kills and forced the Crimson Hawks to take a timeout. IUP responded out of the break, taking a 14-12 lead and squandered it, taking another timeout trailing 16-14. The two sides traded points when at 18 apiece, it was Millersville's turn to take a breather as Coach Smith sensed the momentum shifting and took a timeout of his own. Following the timeout, the Marauders looked refreshed as Kaledas and Harman sent home consecutive kills. The Crimson Hawks hung tough though as they took the lead at 23-22 after a trio of Millersville errors. IUP's Kaitlyn Palmer finished off the reeling Marauders with back-to-back kills to give the Crimson Hawks the set.

In this fifth and decisive set, Millersville took control early winning the first four points.  After an IUP timeout, Millersville remained steady extending their lead to 10-4. In the end, Millersville capped off a dominant last set with Taylor Smith serving for four straight Millersville points as they earned the game victory 15-6. Four Maruaders recorded at least two kills and were set up by Dawson seven times in the fifth set.

Millersville now stands at 11-9 on the season (3-8 PSAC) and returns to the court tomorrow as they take on California (PA) at 12:30 p.m. and Seton Hill at 3:30 p.m.