Millersville University
7-10
Bowie State
2-19
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millersville | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Bowie State | 15 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
Marauders sweep Bulldogs in convincing fashion
10/10/2023 8:24:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BOWIE, MD. - The Marauders traveled to face Bowie State on Tuesday night looking to right the ship after scuffling for the past few weeks. They certainly did that with a dominant shutout victory over the Bulldogs. The Marauders leaned on their defense in the win, allowing the host's hitters to make mistakes without making their own.
The Marauders came out hot in the first set with a 6-1 run. Bowie answered by scoring six straight, but the initial Millersville run was a sign of things to come. They grabbed the lead with an 8-2 spurt, moving the score to 14-9. They later put the game out of reach by ripping off a seven-point run, culminating in a 25-15 victory.
Set two was a lot like the first, with the teams tied at seven early before the Marauders took hold of the game. From that point on, they outscored the Bulldogs 18-8 en route to a 25-15 set win. Taylor Welter was especially effective coming off the bench in set two. She recorded four of her 10 total kills without committing an error.
The visitors left no doubt about the outcome of the match at the beginning of the third set. The Marauders scored 13 of the set's first 14 points en route to a 25-10 set victory and the sweep.
"(…) It's always good for confidence and morale to win and win decisively. We have good players, and everyone knows we are young," Smith said about the victory. "When you have a team like that, and they struggle out of the gate it's nice for them to get a reminder of their abilities."
The Marauders will look to build on this win when they travel to face Shepherd in a critical conference matchup on Oct. 13.
COACH BRIAN SMITH'S THOUGHTS
- On what stood out to him: "Taylor had great numbers tonight, as did several players. Madison Williams also played well. In addition, the team passed well and played quality defense."
- On the victory: "I'm happy with all victories, and it's always good for confidence and morale to win and win decisively. We have good players, and everyone knows we are young. When you have a team like that, and they struggle out of the gate it's nice for them to get a reminder of their abilities. Even so, I'm sure they have already learned the lesson that they must work hard and that their growth isn't over. We have to return to the practice court each day and keep working on getting better. So tonight, all is well-tomorrow we work, and this weekend we face two quality conference opponents. This year is all about growth and establishing what we want our identity to be moving forward."
- With the win, the Marauders keep their flawless all-time record against the Bulldogs. Millersville is 6-0 all-time against them dating back to 2009.
- This was Millersville's first road win of the season outside of tournament play.
- Emerson Corso made her season debut and recorded a kill in the third set.
- The difference in this match was each team's defense and offensive execution. The Marauders hit .294 while the Bulldogs hit just -.049, a difference of .343.
- Taylor Welter was a major contributor to this, recording 10 kills to just one error en route to a .600 hitting percentage.
