15th-ranked Volleyball wins five-set thriller to secure an OAC Regular Season Co-Championship

The Muskingum volleyball team claimed a thrilling five-set victory over Heidelberg on Saturday, 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 17-15). With the triumph, the Muskies claimed a share of the OAC Regular-Season Championship with Ohio Northern. This marked the first time since 1999 that the Muskies have secured an OAC Regular-Season Championship.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (25-2, 8-1 OAC), Heidelberg (21-7, 5-4 OAC)
• Location: Tiffin, Ohio – Seiberling Gymnasium
• Time: 2:02

Notables

• Muskingum finished the regular season tied for first in the league with ONU. The Muskies will be the two seed in the OAC Tournament.
• Muskingum will host a first-round OAC Tournament contest on Tuesday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m. against seven-seed Marietta. The game will be a White Out. The Muskies defeated the Pioneers on Tuesday, October 29, 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-11).
• The Muskies are off to their best start since the 1999 campaign.
• Muskingum is currently ranked 15th. This marks Muskingum's highest national ranking since 2000.
• This marked Muskingum's last regular-season game of the 2019 season.
• Muskingum currently stands 25-2 overall with an 8-1 slate in the OAC.
• The Muskies have won 12 straight matches.

How it Happened

• The Muskies fell in set one (25-22), slipped in set two (25-23), dominated in set three (25-18), secured set four (25-19), and took set five (17-15).
• As a team, Muskingum registered 68 kills, 65 assists, 101 digs, and 18 total blocks.
• Junior Brooke Fatheree guided the Muskies with a team-best 16 kills.
• Junior Brynn Guist tallied 16 kills and registered a team-high 4 blocks.
• Junior Kaitlin Noble notched 14 kills on 35 attempts, securing a blistering .343 hitting percentage.
• Fatheree also dished out 16 digs and chipped in three blocks.
• Junior Erin Dickson directed the Muskies with a game-high 52 assists.
• Dickson also recorded 14 digs.
• Junior Jessica Cottle anchored the Muskie backline with a team-best 33 digs.

Inside the Sets

• In set one, the Muskies and Student Princes fought side by side with neither team gaining more than a two-point lead early on. Muskingum recorded back-to-back points to slide past Heidelberg with a score of 12-8. The Student Princes retaliated with four straight points to tie up play to 12-12. Heidelberg tallied a 5-2 en route to the 25-22 victory.
• The battle continued into set two until the Student Princes registered three consecutive points to take the lead with a score of 11-8. The Muskies capitalized on Heidelberg errors to tie up the score to 17-17. Heidelberg recorded three unanswered points and road that momentum to a 25-23 triumph.
• In set three, the Muskies logged five straight points to give them an early 12-7 lead. A kill by junior Brooke Fatheree expanded the gap to 19-11. The Student Princes chipped away at the deficit, but the Muskies could not be halted. Muskingum recorded the final two points to take the set with a score of 25-18.
• In set four, the Muskies and Student Princes traded points until Muskingum registered a 6-1 run to give them a four-point edge on Heidelberg (16-12). Heidelberg attempted to close the gap, but the Muskies continued to control play. A kill by junior Kaitlin Noble locked in the dominating 25-19 win for the Muskies.
• In set five, the Student Princes tallied four consecutive points to secure an early 4-1 lead. Muskingum answered back with a 5-1 run to jump out to a 6-5 lead. A kill by Olivia Christian tied up play to 7-7. The contest remained tight until Heidelberg notched back-to-back kills to give them a three-point edge (14-11) on the Muskies. Muskingum retaliated with a 6-1 run to secure their 12th straight victory of the 2019 season.

Up Next

• The Muskies next host the Marietta Pioneers on Tuesday, November 5, for a White Out for the OAC Tournament Quarterfinals. Start time is slated for 7:00 p.m. All fans are encouraged to wear white to the game.