Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Erases Zips to Net First MAC Win
9/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Marshall Erases Zips to Net First MAC Win
9/28/2003
- Box Score
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. ? The Marshall volleyball team regained its winning form on Sunday by taking down the Akron Zips in a five-match thriller at Gullickson Gym 3-2 (30-23, 24-30, 30-27, 26-30, 15-13). Marshall freshman Jen Harper (Columbus, Ohio) sparked the Thundering Herd off the bench, recording a team-high 18 kills for a .353 hitting percentage to lead the Thundering Herd to their first Mid-American Conference victory of 2003.
Marshall (10-6, 1-1 MAC) led 14-9 in the deciding fifth game, but Akron (6-8, 1-1) would not go away easily, battling back to get within one point at 14-13 before the Herd?s Isabell Anderer (Sinsheim, Germany) took a Katie Stein (Sussex, Wis.) pass for a kill to snap an MU two-match losing streak.
?This is a big win for us,? Marshall head coach Mitch Jacobs said. ?Jen Harper has no fear, she has a ton of potential. Isa (Anderer) is a tough competitor and really goes after it. It was a real nice team effort overall.?
Harper logged seven of her career-high 18 kills in the match?s fourth game and added a crucial kill in game five to put the Herd up 9-5. Anderer collected 14 kills and 12 digs on the afternoon. Nickie Sanlin (Fairview Heights, Ill.) and Anja Wilk (Plate, Germany) chipped in with seven and eight kills, respectively. Sanlin hit at a .636 clip with no errors and a team-high four blocks.
Akron?s Ashleigh Nugent led all players with 22 kills and Sandy Lewis registered 21 kills and 14 digs. Lyndsay Schmiedel assisted on 65 Zip points.
Marshall came out of the gates on fire with a .412 hitting percentage to win the match?s opening game 30-23. Akron was even hotter in game two with a .529 hitting percentage to even the match at 1-1 following a 30-24 win. The teams exchanged victories in the third and fourth game, leading to a climatic two-point win for the Herd in game five.
Marshall is now 4-1 in matches that reach five games this season.
The Thundering Herd will play a non-conference match on Tuesday on the road versus Radford University. The contest will begin at 6 p.m. from the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va. Marshall has not faced RU since opening up the 1995 season with a 3-0 win over the Highlanders.
