MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – It was a typical conference slugfest as the Millersville Marauders and the Bloomsburg Huskies duked it out inside of Pucillo Gymnasium Friday evening. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rivals battled for just under two hours with the visiting Huskies emerging with the 3-1 victory.
 
The beginning of the match was a precursor of what was to come; neither team had a lead of more than two point through the first 20 volleys, leading to a 10-10 tie. That was the point at which the visitor would take hold of the first set courtesy of a 6-0 run. That put the Marauders in a 15-10 hole and was the difference in the 25-18 final score.
 
After the teams traded the first two points in the game, Bloomsburg went on a 5-0 run that spurred a timeout from Marauders head coach Brian Smith. His team responded with inspired volleyball, rattling off four straight points to bring the deficit to one. The final three of those points came hurtling off of the arm of Taylor Welter, who finished the night with a team-high 17 kills.  The Marauders' first block, courtesy of Emma Ludwig and Caroline Halsey knotted the match at nine apiece a couple points later. As was an issue all night, the Marauders immediately dropped the next three points through a series of miscues and gave the advantage right back. Smith identified the team's 12 receiving errors as a large part of the match's outcome, stating postgame, "I think it was huge because it's just a psychological blow and it's easy to see that because it happens one after the other."
 
It felt as if Millersville was on its heels for most of the first two sets, but the momentum would shift in the third set. They were the aggressors, taking a two-point advantage early on to reverse the roles. The significant damage would be done with the hosts up 9-8. They took advantage of three opponent errors (and a Sam White kill) to extend the lead to five and cause a Husky timeout. One of those errors came with a bit of controversy, as a referee ruled that a Husky strike rolled off of the tape without the help of a Marauder player, giving Millersville the point. They were able to use that momentum to deter Bloomsburg for the rest of the set and won it, 25-21.
 
Momentum on their side, it was Millersville who had the upper hand in the beginning of the next bout. The Marauder raced out to a 5-0 lead fueled by their defense and passing; the diving efforts of Ludwig, Becca Hartranft, and Madison Von Neida all led to scores during this stretch. Later in the set, the Marauders were up 21-18 when the self-inflicted wounds struck again; the hosts committed three straight errors to knot the game at 21. The Huskies would go on to win the battle down the stretch and left Pucillo with a 3-1 win.

GAME NOTES

• The loss was a blow to the Marauders' playoff chances, as the teams entered tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the conference at 4-4. The Huskies now have a one-match lead over the Marauders in addition to the tiebreaker advantage.
• Elsewhere in the conference, East Stroudsburg fell 3-2 at Shepherd, putting them just one match ahead of Millersville in the standings at 5-4. The Marauders could secure the tiebreaker over the Warriors with a win on Nov. 9.

UP NEXT:

• The Marauders are back in action tomorrow, Nov. 2, when they host the Lock Haven Bald Eagles at 2 p.m.