Marshall University Athletics
Ball State, NIU on Tap for Herd Volleyball
10/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Ball State, NIU on Tap for Herd Volleyball
10/9/2003
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. ? Marshall University will take a double-dip into the West Division of the Mid-American Conference this weekend, welcoming defending league champions Ball State to Gullickson Hall Gym on Friday at 6 p.m. as well as the Northern Illinois Huskies at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Ball State (7-9, 2-2 MAC) won both the regular season and conference tournament titles a year ago, helping head coach Randy Litchfield to win his fifth MAC Coach of the Year award. The Cardinals have lost two straight conference matches, including a 0-3 loss to Ohio on Sunday.
?Ball State will be looking to get back on track after losing two straight (MAC matches),? Marshall head coach Mitch Jacobs said. ?We have to be ready to compete.?
Marshall (12-7, 2-1 MAC) will attempt to bounce back from a 1-3 non-conference match loss at Xavier on Sunday, which snapped a three-match win streak for the Thundering Herd. MU has won two straight MAC matches in the form of a key road win at Miami (Ohio) last weekend and a five-game victory over Akron at home on Sept. 28.
Marshall is leading the league in service aces with 187 in 74 games, an average of 2.53 per game. Amber Sims (Ney, Ohio) ranks third in the MAC with 34 aces. Herd junior Isabell Anderer (Sinsheim, Germany) collected the most kills for the Herd (29) during last week?s three matches while Sims, a sophomore, sparked the defensive effort with an 11-block week (3 solo). Sophomore Nickie Sanlin (Fairview Heights, Ill.) led the Herd to its first win at Miami since 1999 with a career-high 14 kills to go along with four blocks versus the RedHawks.
Jacobs and his coaching staff are focused on the task at hand for the Herd on this Homecoming weekend.
?We have two of the best teams in the West Division coming to our gym,? Jacobs said. ?Hopefully the Gullickson Hall atmosphere will help our team against these high-quality opponents.?
Ball State sophomore Sarah Obras leads the MAC in kills with 5.81 per game, which is over one kill per game more than Kent State?s Danielle Holt is averaging at the number two slot (4.65/game). In MAC matches, Obras has averaged an impressive 6.69 kills per game.
BSU leads the all-time series with Marshall with a 10-2 record and is on a six-match win streak over the Herd. Marshall last defeated the Cardinals with a 3-2 home win on Oct. 2, 1998.
Northern Illinois (13-3, 2-2 MAC) dropped its last contest on Saturday to Kent State. The Huskies will play a Friday night match at East Division-leading Ohio before making the trip to Huntington.
NIU?s Tera Lobdell has recorded 247 kills this season to go along with sophomore setter Marie Zidek?s 759 assists (11.86/game, fourth in MAC). Second-year head coach Ray Gooden took a loss to the Herd in his first matchup with Jacobs on Oct. 11, 2002, which was Marshall?s only win over NIU in series history. NIU is 6-1 lifetime versus Marshall.
Friday?s match will be broadcast live on WMUL-FM 88.1 with Vince Payne and Jennifer Pierce calling the action. Herd fans are encouraged to support the volleyball team on this Homecoming weekend with a football tailgate-intermission-game-time of 1 p.m. on Saturday, prior to the Herd?s 4:30 p.m. kickoff with Kent State.