ALLIANCE, Ohio – Chatham Women's Volleyball (1-3, 0-0 PAC) dropped two matches on Saturday at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex, falling 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-20) to Mount Union (2-1, 0-0 OAC) before a 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 26-28, 25-12) loss to Marietta (2-3, 0-0 OAC).
Mount Union gained control of the opening set with a 6-0 run that extended its lead to 15-4. Chatham responded in the second frame, using a 4-0 run capped by a block from
Annelese Atkinson and
Paige Watson to tie the set at 10. The Cougars later scored four consecutive points to move ahead 15-12 and took a 19-16 lead following a
Vanessa Mleczko kill, an
Evie White kill and another Atkinson block. Mount Union answered to tie the set at 19 and used a late 3-0 run to pull ahead 24-21 before closing out the frame.
The Cougars attempted another comeback in set three after falling behind early. A
Becca Gesner kill helped Chatham take three straight points to cut the deficit to 16-11, and back-to-back service aces from
Delaney Schwind later brought the Cougars within 20-16. Chatham fought off match point to make it 24-20, but Mount Union claimed the next point to complete the sweep.
Maddy Roberts led Chatham against Mount Union with eight kills.
Kate Giannetta recorded 12 assists and hit .400 with three kills, while
Kelly Dougherty had a team-high nine digs. Atkinson totaled a match-high five blocks, and Schwind finished with seven assists, eight digs and two of Chatham's four service aces.
In the second match, Chatham erased a four-point deficit in the first set behind three
Zoie Bateman kills during a 4-0 run that gave the Cougars a 20-19 lead. The teams were tied at 22 before Marietta won the final three points to take the set. Marietta then used a 7-0 run to build a 13-4 advantage in the second frame. Chatham battled back and scored three straight points late, including a Giannetta kill and service ace, to pull within 24-23 before Marietta held on for the set victory.
The Cougars raced out to an 11-3 lead in set three and remained in front 23-19 after a Giannetta ace. Marietta responded with four consecutive points to tie the frame, and the teams traded points beyond 25. After Marietta moved ahead 26-25, Chatham claimed the final three points, with a Schwind service ace securing the 28-26 set victory. The fourth set was tied at eight before a 9-0 Marietta run created the separation it needed to close the match.
Bateman recorded a match-high 17 kills on .282 hitting against Marietta and was named to the All-Tournament Team following the weekend's competition. Giannetta contributed seven kills on a team-best .333 hitting percentage, 10 assists, 15 digs and three service aces.
Evie White added seven kills on .286 hitting, while Roberts led the Cougars with 16 digs. Schwind dished out a team-high 21 assists, and Dougherty collected 11 digs. Chatham held an 11-8 advantage in service aces, but Marietta outhit the Cougars .197 to .081 and held a 12-5 edge in blocks.
The Cougars return to action on Saturday, September 12
th when they travel to Altoona, PA for a tri-match. They will first take on Penn State Altoona at 11
AM, followed by Penn State Berks at 1
PM.
