PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Millersville University women's volleyball team drops two matches against Southern Connecticut State University and Jefferson University in Philadelphia for an out of conference tri-match. Set scores against SCSU were 25-18, 25-23, 25-23, 25-19, 15-10. Set scores against Jefferson were 25-23. 25-17, 25-17, 27-25.
 
Match One vs. Southern Connecticut State University

Millersville (4-7) narrowly out-hit SCSU (5-3) with a .207 hitting percentage. The Marauders recorded 50 kills, five aces, eight blocks, and 72 digs in the match. Taylor Welter led the offensive effort with a team-high 21 kills, while Trinity Baldwin contributed 44 assists. Defensively, Sam White posted four blocks, and Becca Hartranft anchored the back row with 24 digs.
 
SCSU opened the match strong, jumping out to a 9-3 lead in the first set. Millersville responded with key plays from Alex Nava and Makenzie Muscarello to cut the deficit to three, but the Owls regained momentum with another offensive surge, extending their lead to six late in the set. The Marauders couldn't close the gap, dropping the first set.
 
Millersville came out strong in the second set, jumping to a 3-0 lead behind early contributions from Welter, Muscarello, and White. SCSU quickly responded with a four-point run to take a slim lead. The set remained tightly contested, with both teams' trading points. The Marauders took advantage of several Owl errors to regain momentum. However, with the score tied at 23-23, SCSU closed out the set with back-to-back points, securing a 2-0 match lead.
 
Set three saw a tightly contested start, with Millersville tying the score at 9-9 and keeping pace in a back-and-forth exchange. Neither team led by more than two points until the Marauders put together a late 5-2 scoring run to pull ahead and close out the set, keeping the match alive at 2-1.
 
Millersville's offense came alive in set four, racing out to a commanding 10-3 lead with contributions from Amanda Protzman, Caroline Halsey, Welter, Hartranft, and White. SCSU managed to slow a few of the Marauders' scoring runs but still trailed 22-15 late in the set. With steady back-and-forth play to close it out, Millersville held firm and secured the set, forcing a decisive fifth.
 
In a tightly contested fifth set, both teams were deadlocked at 5-5 before SCSU strung together three unanswered points to gain momentum. Millersville halted the run but couldn't fully recover, ultimately falling short in the final frame and dropping the match.
 
Head coach Brian Smith said, "It was our first five set game, which is good to get experience in those."
 
Match Two vs. Jefferson University

Millersville (4-8) narrowly trailed Jefferson (5-3) in hitting percentage, finishing at .190 to the Rams' .198. Millersville recorded 47 kills, four aces, five blocks, and 77 digs in the effort. Alex Nava and Taylor Welter powered the attack with a combined 27 kills, while Trinity Baldwin directed the offense with 40 assists. On defense, Amanda Protzman led the front line with three blocks, and Becca Hartranft anchored the back row with a team-high 25 digs.
 
Millersville came out strong in the opening set, fueled by three consecutive kills from Welter to grab an early 5-2 lead. Jefferson responded with a seven-point run to swing the momentum. Sam White and Nava stepped up to break the run, tying the set at 8-8. After a series of traded points, the Marauders surged ahead with a 5-1 run, featuring three kills from Nava, to reclaim a three-point lead. Jefferson couldn't recover, and Millersville took the first set to go up 1-0 in the match.
 
Set two began with back-and-forth play, as neither team gained early separation. Millersville briefly pulled ahead with four unanswered points, but Jefferson quickly responded. Trailing by three, the Rams mounted a 7-2 run to reclaim the lead. They continued to apply pressure down the stretch, closing the set with an 8-1 run to even the match at 1-1.
 
With the score tied at 7-7 in set three, Millersville took advantage of a few Jefferson errors to grab a brief two-point lead. However, the Rams responded with a dominant 6-0 run to swing the momentum. Despite efforts from Nava and Welter to close the gap, the Marauders couldn't recover and dropped the set, falling behind 2-1 in the match.
 
The Rams maintained a steady five-point lead through much of set four, but Millersville's Marin Esch, Halsey, and White chipped away to cut the deficit to three. The Marauders stayed within striking distance until 23-20, when Welter scored three consecutive points to give Millersville a one-point lead. Jefferson quickly responded to tie the set and force extra points. At 25-25, the Rams scored two consecutive points to close out the set, taking a 3-1 match win.
 
The Marauders' next match is Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. when they face the Golden Rams at West Chester University for their for PSAC East game of the season.