MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - On the last Friday night before Halloween, the place to be in Millersville was Pucillo Gymnasium. The Marauders upset the visiting Shepherd Rams in riveting fashion, needing overtime in the final set to close out the 3-2 victory. The win was number 200 for Millersville Head Coach Brian Smith, who became the first in program history to reach the mark. 
 
Early in the first set was a sign of things to come, as neither team was able to take advantage of the others' errors and take a commanding lead. The first lead of three or more belonged to Shepherd at 14-11. A few unforced Marauder errors later and the visitors extended their lead to five (20-15). Smith took a timeout late in the set but the Rams closed it out 25-17. 
 
The Marauders, hoping to bounce back in set two, did just that and took the early lead at 7-4. They extended their lead to five a few points later but the Rams responded by evening the score at 16 with a 6-1 run. Down 21-20 and facing a potential 2-0 deficit, Millersville showed resilience. The team went on a 5-0 run fueled by back-to-back service aces from Emma Ludwig to close out the set 25-21. 
 
A few unlucky bounces found the hosts down 2-7 to start set three. After a Smith timeout, the hosts made it a game again before a big run gave them the lead in the middle of the set. The largest deficit the Marauders faced in the set was six points (11-5). From that point forward, they outscored the Rams 20-7. The scoring onslaught featured three Caroline Halsey kills and five from Emma Kerwin, who finished the match with a game-high 17. 
 
With a chance to close out the upset in the fourth set, the Marauders leaped out to an early 6-1 advantage.  The Rams were held at arm's length until the middle of the set, when errors started to pop back up. That trend would continue for the rest of the game and lead to a deciding fifth set. 
 
The final game was as tight as the rest of the match, as the biggest lead by either team was just three points. Down 10-7, Ludwig went on a tear. The setter finished consecutive kills and followed it up with a service ace to knot the set up at 10. A few points later, Halsey chimed in with a timely kill to level it at 14. Alex Nava was next up, recording a crucial putaway to tie the game again, this time at 15. The teams traded points before Taylor Welter answered the call with the hosts facing defeat down 17-16. It was Welter's two straight kills that gave Millersville their first chance at victory. A final Ram mistake gave the Marauders the close win at 19-17. 
 
Millersville is back in action tomorrow, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. when it welcomes Shippensburg for another PSAC East battle. 

COACH BRIAN SMITH'S THOUGHTS

• On the match: "The match was great. The only part where we really stumbled was not finishing the fourth set. We were up, we had a good lead, but our passing and ball control went into that little slump. But this is what happens with young teams. You've got a comfortable lead, but then one error turns into two turns into a little bit of a run, and everybody's starting to feel sorry for themselves. So we called a timeout and basically just said to take it one point at a time. I thought it was a tremendous match by both teams, there was a ton of defense on both sides."
• On the milestone: "As the 200 wins number approached, I reflected on it simply because I've seen coaches celebrated during my career as one. At no point during that reflection did I ever consider it a personal achievement. What I think it says is that Millersville works very hard to find and retain coaches who have character, not some made-up values that sound catchy but good, solid, humans that already have an ethical and moral code. In addition, they work hard to foster an environment that is conducive to wanting good coaches to stay, which speaks to the leadership at levels above us."
• "What I hope it says about me is that I care for the young women I have been entrusted to coach, mentor and develop and that the University also values that about me and my staff members. In the end, we are in the human development business. I've never claimed to get it right all the time, but I strive to do things right, and I'm blessed and privileged to have been in my role for as long as I have. It's my hope that this is not looked at as my accomplishment but rather as a success for everyone who's been a part of it, from the top down."

• The win gives life to the Marauders' playoff hopes, as their conference record now sits at 3-6. That puts them in sole possession of sixth place in the PSAC East. The Rams fall to 5-3 with the loss and they remain third in the division. 
• This victory marks the 200th in the collegiate coaching career of Brian Smith. It has been just over 4800 days (4801) since his first win, a 3-0 sweep of Felician on Sept. 4, 2010. 

•  Alex Nava had the best game of her young career in terms of attacking, finishing second on the team with 16 kills on a .387 hitting percentage. 16 ties a career high set earlier this season against East Stroudsburg.
•  Millersville did a good job limiting the blockers of Shepherd. Shepherd came into the match tied for second in the PSAC in team blocks and left with just 10 total blocks. 
• Caroline Halsey recorded three of her four total kills in Millersville's 20-7 run in the third set.