The Muskingum volleyball team went undefeated at the DePauw Invitational on Saturday. The Muskies conquered St. Mary's 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-17) and defeated DePauw 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 25-20).

The Basics

• DePauw hosted the tournament.
• With the two wins, the Muskies improve to 13-1 on the year and continue their best start since the 2008 campaign.
• The triumph against St. Mary's marked the ninth straight-set victory of the season for the Muskies.

Saturday Action

vs. St. Mary's

• As a team, Muskingum notched 43 kills, 36 assists, and 51 digs. 
• In set one, the Muskies registered back-to-back points to slide past St. Mary's with a score of 7-2. Muskingum notched five straight points to expand the lead to 17-10. St. Mary's fought to close the gap, but the Muskies could not be halted. Muskingum recorded the last point to claim the set with a score of 25-15.
• In set two, the Muskies came out hot and secured a dominating 10-3 lead over the Belles. St. Mary's chipped away at the differential in an attempt to close the gap, but Muskingum continued to control play. The Muskies tallied a 9-2 run to take the set.
• In set three, the Muskies secured six unanswered points to jump out to an early 14-4 lead over the Belles. St. Mary's recorded three straight points to get within three-points (20-17) of the Muskies. Muskingum retaliated with five consecutive points to lock in the set with a score of 25-17.
• Junior Jada Briggs led the Muskies with a career-best 13 kills on 22 attempts. Briggs notched a scorching .455 hitting percentage.
• Freshman Alexis Hall chipped in nine kills, while junior Brynn Guist dished out seven.
• Junior Jessica Cottle anchored the Muskie backline with 19 digs.
• Junior Brooke Fatheree registered 10 digs.
• Freshman Emma Conrad directed the Muskie attack with a game-high 20 assists.
• Junior Erin Dickson amassed 14 assists.

vs. DePauw 

• As a team, Muskingum registered 60 kills, 58 assists, and 78 digs. 
• In set one, the Muskies capitalized on back-to-back Tiger errors to jump out to an early 9-5 lead. A service ace by Conrad expanded the gap to 20-12. DePauw chipped away the differential, but the Muskies could not be halted. Muskingum recorded the last point to take the set.
• In set two, the Muskies and Tigers fought side by side with neither team taking more than a two-point lead early on. DePauw tallied a 9-3 run to slide past the Muskies with a score of 13-9. Muskingum retaliated with four straight points to get within four-points (22-18) of the Tigers. A kill by Delaney Bell locked in the 25-21 victory for DePauw.
• In set three, the Tigers registered three consecutive points to take the lead with a score of 13-7. Muskingum answered with a 6-0 run to tie up play to 13-13. After a Muskingum timeout, the tempo of the game began to change and the Muskies started to take control. Muskingum secured a ferocious 9-2 run to claim the 25-22 triumph over the Tigers.
• In set four, the Muskies secured a dominating 10-1 lead over the Tigers. DePauw retaliated with a 9-3 run in an attempt to close the gap, but the Muskies continued to control play. Muskingum recorded the final four points to lock in the set with a score of 25-20.
• Fatheree guided the Muskies with a team-high 20 kills.
• Junior Maddie McGee recorded 14 kills, while junior Brynn Guist amassed 10 kills.
• Dickson directed the Muskies with a team-best 46 assists.
• Cottle amassed 24 digs.
• Junior Maddie Sikorski logged 17 digs.

Up Next

• The Muskies next travel to Ada to compete against the defending Ohio Athletic Conference Champions and 16th-ranked Ohio Northern on Tuesday, September 24. Start time is slated for 7:00 p.m. and marks the OAC opener for both teams.