Box Score

COLUMBUS – The Capital University volleyball team competed valiantly in a lengthy match Tuesday night, but was eventually defeated 23-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-15, 16-14 by Marietta in an Ohio Athletic Conference showdown at the Capital Center.

In a high-intensity match between two evenly-matched teams, the Crusaders (10-18 overall, 2-4 OAC) appeared to be in control after taking a closely-contested first set and taking a 7-3 advantage in the second. Capital looked to close the match in the fourth after taking a 2-sets-to-1 lead, but fell behind 16-5 en route to a fifth set.

The Pioneers (14-9) wouldn't go away after the Crusaders held leads of 3-0 and 8-5 in the fifth. Marietta tied the match at 9-9, after which the two teams traded points to push it to 14-all. The Pioneers earned the last two points of the set via kill to take the match.

Capital currently sits in eighth place in the conference, leading both Wilmington and John Carroll in the league standings by two matches. With three matches left in the regular season, the Crusaders need just one more victory, or one loss each by Wilmington and John  Carroll, to clinch an OAC Tournament berth.

Senior libero Shannon Quinn (Miamisburg, Ohio; at right), who entered the week as the nation's leader in digs per set, posted 48 digs to lead a stellar defensive effort by the Crusaders. Freshman Katie Weilbacher (Grove City, Ohio) contributed with five kills, a team-high 23 assists and 18 digs. 

Freshman middle hitter Olivia Arledge (Frankfort, Ohio) tallied 13 kills and seven blocks, both team bests, while sophomore Melissa Verhoff (Ottawa, Ohio) delivered with 12 kills, five digs and six blocks.

Senior middle hitter Leanne Schaefer (Verona, Wis.) added nine kills for Capital, which had a team hitting percentage of .112, compared to .213 for the Pioneers.

The Crusaders continue conference play at home this Saturday against Baldwin Wallace. Match time is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Capital Center.