Shepherdstown, WV. – The Millersville University women's volleyball team fell to the Rams of Shepherd University in four sets, despite a hard-fought comeback to force a fourth. The Marauders rallied for a 26-24 win in the third set but ultimately dropped the match with set scores of 25-13, 25-17, 26-24, and 25-21.
 
Millersville (6-17, 1-8) recorded 36 kills, five aces, 30 assists, and 59 digs in the match, while out-blocking Shepherd (17-6, 6-4) seven to four. Becca Hartranft and Sam White led the way on both sides of the net, combining  for 13 kills and six blocks. Alex Nava added 12 kills to fuel the offense, while Sidonia Cecco anchored the defense with a team-high 17 digs.
 
The Marauders found themselves chasing early as the Rams jumped out to a quick two-point lead. Hartranft and Amanda Protzman made a strong stand at the net, recording an early block to halt the Rams' momentum. Despite the effort, Shepherd responded with a 4-0 run to extend their lead to five. Millersville struggled to find rhythm offensively until trailing 13-4, when they sparked a 7-3 run with points from Hartranft, Trinity Baldwin, and Nava. The Rams answered with another four-point surge, but Addy Van Oosten broke it up with a kill. Shepherd stayed in control, closing the set on a 5-1 run to take the opening set.
 
Down 2-0, Nava and Protzman sparked the Marauders to an early lead in the second set. The Rams quickly tied things up at six and gained momentum with a 6-2 run to take control. Millersville responded with a rally of their own, cutting the deficit to one. The set stayed tight until Shepherd pulled ahead 20-15, creating some separation. Despite the Marauders' efforts to battle back, the Rams closed out the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set opened with back-and-forth play until the score was knotted at five. Shepherd then surged ahead with a 7-0 scoring run to seize control. Refusing to back down, White, Marin Esch, Nava, and Hartranft fueled a Millersville comeback, trimming the deficit to three. The Marauders kept their momentum with a late 4-1 run, as White and Kat Dalessio battled to tie the set at 22. A key block from Esch and White, followed by a kill from Nava, brought Millersville to set point. After Shepherd evened the score at 24 to force extra play, the Marauders capitalized on two Ram errors to secure the set and extend the match to a fourth.
 
Both teams battled for control early in the fourth set, with the score deadlocked several times. Neither side led by more than two points until the Rams pulled ahead 12-11 and extended their advantage with a three-point burst. Shepherd maintained its lead until Hartranft and Caroline Halsey sparked a Millersville rally that cut the deficit to one. The Rams capitalized on a few Marauder errors to regain momentum, but Millersville kept fighting behind kills from Nava and White. In the end, Shepherd closed out the match with a service ace to seal the victory.

"We struggled with passing in the first set, which made it difficult to find any rhythm offensively," said head coach Brian Smith. "Because of a previous injury, we had to move Becca from libero to outside hitter, which created some adjustments early on. In the second set, our passing improved, allowing us to compete more effectively. Kat made a big impact in the back row, our middles were able to hit better off her, and Marin provided a huge boost on the right side with her offense and stronger blocking presence throughout the night."
 

The Marauders will wrap up their road stretch at Shippensburg, taking on the undefeated PSAC East leading Raiders on November 1 at 1 p.m.