Marietta, Ohio: Coming off a four-game weekend at Earlham College, the Denison Big Red volleyball team traveled towards the Ohio River to take on the No. 15 Pioneers of Marietta College. Denison had their hands full with the 9-1 Pioneers, getting swept in straight sets.

Up Next: The Big Red will face another OAC foe on Friday as they travel to Otterbein. Denison will be back in Livingston Gymnasium on Saturday to take on the Capital Comets and the Bluffton Beavers.

Match 1 (Denison 0, Marietta 3) (19-25, 15-25, 15-25)

The Big Red kicked off their midweek match with a valiant first set effort versus Marietta. Denison jumped out to an early lead, but the Pioneers were able to get things tied up just as fast. Marietta went on a run, growing their lead to 12-6. A pair of kills from Emily Monachino got Denison back into the swing of things, but the Marietta push was ultimately too much for the Big Red. The Pioneers took the first set 19-25 for the 1-0 lead. 

In the second set, the Pioneers showcased their national ranking. Devon Moore grabbed the first point of the set, but that would be Denison's only lead. The Pioneers were able to chunk their points together to overwhelm the Big Red offense. With a score of 25-15, Marietta took a 2-0 lead.

With all momentum pulling in favor of Marietta, the Pioneers jumped out to an early 8-3 lead. However, falling in line with previous comebacks, the Big Red strung together a tremendous comeback to get within one point. In the end of the final set, the Pioneers rattled off eight straight points to seal the deal with a final score of 25-15.

The Big Red falls to 6-5 on the season with the loss as Marietta broke double-digit wins. However, Denison was able to put up solid numbers in the box score. Claire Hamilton, Emily Monachino, and Devon Moore led the Big Red kill column with nine, eight, and seven, respectively. Alice Kempf continued to rack up assists, tallying 24 on the night. Ryan Kotalik recorded 12 digs while Kempf and Whitley Metz bagged 11 apiece.