First set spark not enough as Marauders drop PSAC opener

Friday, September 18

Millersville, PA

7:00 PM

Millersville University

2-6,0-2PSAC

Shepherd

10-1,1-1PSAC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Shepherd	27	25	25	25	3
Millersville	29	9	10	17	1

First set spark not enough as Marauders drop PSAC opener

9/18/2026 9:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Bailey Smith, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - The Millersville University women's volleyball team faced a challenging PSAC East opener, hosting the No. 2 voted (preseason polls) Shepherd University Rams. After battling through extra points to take the opening set, the Marauders dropped the next three sets. Set scores were 29-27, 25-9, 25-10, and 25-17.

The Marauders finished the match with 45.0 points, 30 kills, seven aces, eight blocks, 29 assists, and 49 digs. Marissa Storti led Millersville's offense with 12 kills, followed by Charlee Russick with seven. Storti and Amanda Protzman combined for five aces, while Hailey Lazur anchored the net with six blocks. Addison Reustle and Julia Chunta combined for 24 assists, while Sidonia Cecco and Becca Hartranft led the defensive effort with 23 digs.

The Marauders got off to a shaky start in the opening set, allowing Shepherd's first serve of the match to fall untouched. Russick put Millersville on the board, and two service aces from Storti sparked a 5-0 Marauder run. Shepherd answered with a run of its own, tying the set at 6-6. Lazur and Storti kept Millersville within striking distance as the two teams traded points throughout the set. With the Marauders trailing by one, the Rams broke through with a 3-0 run to extend their lead. Sam White halted the run, and a kill from Russick put Millersville back in front by one. Storti continued to keep the Marauders in the battle, helping force extra points. With Millersville holding a 28-27 advantage, Lazur found the floor to seal the opening set for the Marauders. The young Millersville squad also held Shepherd to an impressive .047 hitting percentage in the first set.

Both teams came out strong to open the second set, trading points until the score was tied at 4-4. The Rams began to find their rhythm and put together a small run, but the Marauders quickly halted the momentum by capitalizing on Shepherd errors and kills from Russick and Storti. Millersville's offense then began to struggle as the Rams erupted for a 13-1 scoring run. Storti briefly broke up the run, but the spark was not enough to slow Shepherd's momentum, as the Rams closed out the second set.

Millersville continued to struggle in the third set, quickly falling behind 8-2. White halted the Rams' early run, but Shepherd continued to apply pressure. The Marauders battled back to within six points after an ace from Protzman and several Shepherd errors, but Millersville continued to have difficulty finding its rhythm at the net. The Rams closed out the set with a 7-0 scoring run to take the third set.

The fight returned to the Marauders in the fourth set, as Storti and Russick sparked a scoring run to open the frame. The two teams battled back and forth, with the set eventually tied at 13-13. Millersville's defense began to struggle as the Rams surged ahead with a 6-0 scoring run. White attempted to kick-start the Marauder offense, but the effort was not enough to overcome Shepherd's momentum. The Rams closed out the fourth set to secure the match victory.

"I was extremely proud of the way the team came out and played," said head coach Brian Smith. "We're a young team and we've been struggling, so the focus was making sure we can pass and serve aggressively. They played very scrappy and with a lot of energy and passion in the first set, so that was a great win for us. Shepherd is very seasoned, so they aren't going to get spooked by that. They slowed the pace of the game down, took times with their serves because we were running them all over the place. We also got quite a good amount of blocks in the first set, which we've been doing a good job at that. We definitely rattled them a bit, but older and more experienced teams will find a way to calm things down. The second and third set really got away from us because of the passing. We started getting spotty with the passing and even when we would get a good pass, we weren't super crisp with our set... Our young team just wasn't connecting as well as they should've been like they were in the first set. It's just inexperience, and pressure. I was proud of them in the last set because it was 25-17 and they never really gave up... We showed ourselves today what we can really do."

The Marauders will travel to West Chester tomorrow, Sept. 19, to face the Golden Rams in their second PSAC East match-up of the season.