EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The Millersville Marauders traveled to East Stroudsburg to take on the Warriors on the second half of a back-to-back. It took overtime in the fourth set to decide the outcome, but the hosts emerged with a 3-1 win.
 
After a blowout first set win for the hosts, Millersville returned to form in the second game. The guests took their first lead of the match courtesy of three straight Emma Kerwin kills, all of which were assisted by Emma Ludwig. That put the Marauders up 7-6 and Kylee Schurig followed with a kill to add one to that advantage. Another critical stretch in the set came a few points later with the Marauders down 12-11. Caroline Halsey tallied a kill and Schurig followed with an ace, which was the beginning of a 6-1 run that gave them the lead for good. The Warriors would cut into that lead at 21-19, however, leading to Millersville head coach Brian Smith to call timeout.
 
"I just reminded the team that we are here to compete," Smith said of the timeout. "I reminded them to play to win and finish the set strong."
 
And that was exactly what his team did; they would score four of the next five points and win it 25-20 on another Schurig service ace, one of four she finished the match with. The script seemed to be flipped in the third set, as the Marauders held a 12-11 lead but gave up a 6-0 spurt and found themselves down 17-12. The Marauders came charging back to tie it up at 22-all, but it was for naught as the Warriors claimed the final three points and the set.
 
That set the stage for a crucial fourth game in which Millersville put itself in good position to force a decisive fifth set. The Marauders were down two at 16-14 and went on an 8-1 run to go up 23-17. Sam White was a big part of this stretch as she tallied three of her nine total kills during the run. The Warriors were again undeterred as before, responding with an 8-1 stretch of their own and eventually took home the 28-26 victory.
 
Smith commended his team's effort against a quality opponent, stating, "It was a great PSAC East contest.  We fought the whole set and match and came up short. The team hitting percentages were close and I was happy we out blocked them– I have no shame in our fight and effort."

GAME NOTES

• The Marauders fall to 26-13 all-time against the Warriors, a rivalry that dates back to the program's inaugural season in 1990.
• Millersville moves down to fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division standings with a 6-6 record. That is the final playoff spot in the East, meaning Millersville still controls its own destiny. Standing in its way is a homestand against first and second-place Shepherd and Shippensburg, respectively.

STATISTICAL INSIGHTS

• Despite the loss, Millersville out-blocked East Stroudsburg eight to five. Halsey and Ludwig contributed six block assists apiece to that total.
• Senior libero Madison Von Neida became at least the eleventh player in team history to reach 1000 digs in set four. She currently has 1002, which puts her just outside of the team's all-time top 10 list. Kathy Howard is currently in possession of the tenth spot with 1,113.

UP NEXT:

• The Marauders return home for the final homestand of the season next Friday, Nov. 15 against the Shippensburg Raiders. That's slated to begin at 7 p.m.