Marshall University Athletics
Herd Volleyball Thunders Past Ball State
10/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Herd Volleyball Thunders Past Ball State
10/10/2003
- Box Score
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. ? The Thundering Herd stormed back from an 8-2 game-five deficit to knock off the defending Mid-American Conference champion Ball State Cardinals 3-2 (29-31, 32-30, 30-25, 30-32, 17-15) in an electrifying cross-divisional volleyball match at the Gullickson Hall Gym on Friday of Homecoming at Marshall University.
Marshall (13-7, 3-1 MAC) rallied behind the performances of Herd freshmen Christin Bimberg (Schwerin, Germany) and Jen Harper (Columbus, Ohio), both of whom came up with momentum-seizing kills throughout the match. Bimberg killed a career-high 20 balls in 51 total attempts, both of which are team season-highs, to go along with 10 digs for her first career double-double. Harper collected 15 kills, including four in Marshall?s 32-30 game two win.
Another Marshall youngster, sophomore setter Katie Stein (Sussex, Wis.), had a monumental night for the Thundering Herd. Stein collected career-highs in both assists (64) and digs (20). Ashley Barnard (Maumee, Ohio) came up with a number of key digs over the course of the match to record the second-highest dig total of her career with 25, which was a match-high.
?This was a great win for the Herd and our volleyball program here at Marshall,? Thundering Herd head coach Mitch Jacobs said. ?I can?t say enough about our young players, they played phenomenally.?
Four of the five games could not be decided in regulation, including the 17-15 Marshall comeback win in game five. Nicole Michal (Louisville, Ky.) served Marshall out of an early hole in the game with five straight points, including two service aces. The Herd, later down 14-15, was sparked by a Bimberg game-tying kill from Stein followed by a block credited to Nickie Sanlin (Fairview Heights, Ill.) and Stein to grab match point. The marathon affair ended when BSU?s Kristin Westhof hit the match?s final attempt into the net.
The win marks the first victory for MU over Ball State since 1998 and sends the Cardinals home with their longest MAC losing streak since 1988 (4 matches).
Sophomore Amber Sims (Ney, Ohio) was nearly perfect through three games of the match, hitting at a .667 clip with nine kills and only one error. Michal and Tracey King (Miami, Fla.) played superb matches as well, as Michal notched her fourth double-double of the year (14 kills, 12 digs) while King contributed eight kills and 14 digs. Sanlin registered 11 kills and a career-high three service aces.
For the first time this season, Ball State sophomore Sarah Obras did not lead the team in kills, instead Melissa Oliver, a sophomore, tallied the team-high total with 20, compared to Obras? 19 kills.
?Amber (Sims) was crazy in games one through three,? Jacobs said. ?She made them (Ball State) change their blocking scheme by committing to her on the outside.?
?If we play inspired volleyball, we can beat anyone,? MU assistant coach Greg Spector added.
Andrea Kastein (Pittsburgh, Pa.) also contributed six assists for the Herd.
Marshall will return to the court at 1 p.m. on Saturday to face another MAC West foe, Northern Illinois. The Huskies are 13-3, 2-2 MAC, entering Friday night's contest at Ohio.
