MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Coming off a tough weekend in West Virginia, the Marauders (7-6, 0-1 PSAC) were unable to right the ship in the opening match of the team's conference schedule.
 
West Chester (11-1, 1-0 PSAC) took the first two sets 25-18 and 25-17, keeping the Millersville offense at arm's length. The Marauders picked up a win in set three and battled in a closely contested fourth set before falling to the Golden Rams. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
(25-18, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22)

• West Chester jumped ahead 3-0 in set one as Millersville opened play with three consecutive attacking errors. The Marauders regrouped and kept the set close, tying as late as 14-14 before an eight-point Rams run put West Chester ahead 22-14.
• The Golden Rams took another early lead in set two. Millersville scored three of the first four points before a nine-point run allowed West Chester to move ahead 10-3. Down 16-7, the Marauders came alive in the middle of the set, scoring eight of the next nine points to cut the Rams lead to just three (17-14). A six-point run put West Chester ahead 23-14 and put the set out of reach.
• In set three, with the team down 11-9, Millersville rattled of runs of four and five points to go ahead 18-12. With the teams trading short runs late in the set, Millersville was able to hang on to the lead and avoid the sweep.
• The fourth set was the cleanest of the day, as a four-point West Chester rally was the longest streak for either team. Millersville got as close as 18-17 and 24-22 to force a fifth set but failed to find a late rally.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Laurel Samko led the Marauder offense with a career high 12 kills. Kylie Airesman and Rose Vail tied for second with nine.
• Emma Ludwig tacked on 26 assists while Emily Hoffman recorded seven as Millersville used a two-setter offense at times in the middle sets.
• Libero Becca Dalstad tallied 16 digs, eclipsing 900 career digs early in the second set. Ludwig added on 13 digs to secure a double-double.
• Samko (13) Airesman (9.5) and Vail (10.5) led the team in total points.
• The Marauders are now 30-33 all time against West Chester.

REACTION FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN SMITH
On the first two sets: " Our passing was exceptional in the first set we simply had too many unforced errors to start the match and allowed our opponent to go on long runs."
On the career high from Samko: "Happy for Laurel, I hadn't looked at the hitting yet but one thing she does well is tool the block which is very hard to defend and is a high percentage attack."
On the upcoming weekend off: " The first three weeks are always tough with so many matches in a short period. The team needs a mental and physical break."
On the end of the match: "We ended the match playing well. We have things to consider and work on in some of our more challenging rotations. We need to start faster offensively and not put ourselves in big holes."

UP NEXT

• 'Ville continues its seven-match home stand next Tuesday Sept. 20 against Bowie State. First serve is set for 7 p.m. from Pucillo Gymnasium.