Jackets Finish Marietta Tournament in Second Place

MARIETTA, Ohio – Defiance College moved to 3-0 at the Marietta Tournament with a sweep of Ohio Valley but fell one win shy of claiming the tournament championship after suffering a straight-set defeat to the host Marietta squad.

The Jackets started the day with a dominating victory over Ohio Valley. Defiance won 25-8, 25-14, 25-22 in the opener on Saturday to position itself for a crack at the championship match.

Kelsey Ferguson turned in a solid all-around performance in the victory by notching 15 assists and seven digs. The offense was led by Marla Rolander and Jessica Tietje, as the pair of middle blockers combined to net 17 kills.

DC's final match of the weekend pitted it with the remaining unbeaten team at the tournament, as the Jackets and Marietta had each won their three matches leading to the title clash.

The home team proved to be too much for the Purple and Gold however, as Marietta won the championship with a 25-18, 25-11, 25-23 victory against the Jackets.

Sara Porter anchored the defense with 10 digs, while Danyel Lipps rounded out her weekend with a seven-kill, six-dig performance. Lipps was also named to the All-Marietta Tournament Team after leading DC to the second-place finish.

Defiance (10-5) will have the week off before playing a pair of road matches on September 25 and 26. DC will play at Franklin on Friday at 7:30 pm in a non-conference meeting, before opening the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference schedule at Rose-Hulman on Saturday at noon.