LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Millersville Marauders looked to return to their early-season form against their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference(PSAC) Eastern Division rival the Lock Haven Bald Eagles when the teams faced off Saturday afternoon. The Marauders played inspired volleyball, taking the hosts to five sets before falling 3-2. 

The Marauders got off to a much better start than in the previous two matches in a tightly contested first bout. Late in the set, Emma Kerwin and Taylor Welter sent home back to back kills to take a 19-17 lead and cause a Bald Eagle timeout. The hosts responded with a three-point run of their own to retake the lead and Millersville head coach Brian Smith called a timeout of his own. Welter tallied another putaway out of the timeout for the fifteenth tie of the set, but Lock Haven rattled off three more kills to take the largest lead by either team. That was part of an 8-2 Bald Eagle run that finished off a 25-21 victory.
 
Led by Kerwin, Caroline Halsey and improved passing, the Marauders leapt out to a 14-5 advantage in the following set. Halsey tallied two kills during this stretch and Kerwin recorded four points. Three of those came via kills during the pivotal 8-1 run that took the lead from two to nine.

Lock Haven returned the favor, rattling off a 7-2 run that spurred a Millersville timeout. The Marauders responded out of the break with a 9-4 spurt that secured the 25-16 win. Mya Cascario, who entered the match tied for fourth in the PSAC in service aces with 26, added two more to her total during Millersville's key run. The third set was a return to the first, as the teams remained neck and neck until a 7-1 Bald Eagle run put them up 20-15. The Marauders initially cut into the deficit but couldn't overcome it.
 
The fourth set was as similar to the second as the third was to the first; Millersville jumped on the opposition early and didn't let up en route to a 25-18 win. Six different players scored a point with Welter and her four finishes leading the way. The Marauders gained the early advantage with an 8-2 run that was punctuated by a pretty three-pass kill: libero Madison Von Neida made a diving dig that found its way to Emma Ludwig, who sent a perfect feed to Kylee Schurig, who then slammed it home.
 
The deciding set was as tight as can be, but the 'Ville won a lengthy point off the fingertips of Sam White to take a 7-6 lead. Kerwin followed with a spike to increase the margin to two heading into the switch. A four-point Bald Eagle spurt awaited them on the other side of the court to flip the score. White came up big once more with a kill to cut it in half as well as a block on a following rally.
 
The chaos occurred with the Marauders down 14-13. On their third pass of the possession, Kerwin hit the ball off the top of the net that grazed the Lock Haven's blocker's hand and back to her. She hit it again, but it was initially ruled a fourth touch to give the Bald Eagles the win. After a brief discussion, the referees determined that the point should be replayed. The sophomore got her revenge on the next possession, swatting a kill off the outstretched arm of a defender to knot it at 14. Despite the extra life, the hosts still ended up winning the set and the match.

POSTGAME REACTION FROM BRIAN SMITH: 

• On the team's performance today: "We are disappointed in the result, but we definitely played much better today. It was a typical PSAC slug fest."
• On the recent success of the middles: "Sam and Caroline have been putting up good hitting numbers. When we can pass well and more consistently, they should be a greater part of our offense. In both matches this weekend we only set that combo around 15% of the time–we need to bring that up to closer to 30% but that takes consistency. We'll keep working on it!"

GAME NOTES

• Millersville's record against Lock Haven falls to 13-18 all-time. The Marauders lost their second match against the Bald Eagles last season, snapping a seven-game winning streak dating back to 2017.
• After starting the first 15 matches with essentially the same starting lineup, Smith made a small change in this one. Sophomore defensive specialist Elizabeth Villegas got the start in the third set.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Halsey and White were effective from the middle, tallying nine and eight kills to just one error each. Halsey has put home 25 kills in her last three matches while making a single error.
• Kerwin and Welter led the Marauder attack with 18 and 16 kills, respectively. Ludwig had a double-double with 46 assists and 17 digs in addition to her two total blocks.

UP NEXT:

• The Marauders have almost a week before they hit the road once more to take on the Raiders at Shippensburg on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.