Marshall University Athletics
Herd Volleyball's RPI Up to No. 38
10/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 26, 2005
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd volleyball team remained atop the Midwest Region and Conference USA this week with its three-match sweep in Texas against Houston, Rice and Tulane.
The biggest news of the week however, was the Herd's RPI jumped to No. 38 in the nation. This is the first time in history that the Herd's RPI has been in the top 40.
The Herd's previous RPI high came three weeks ago when it climbed to No. 42.
Marshall will face another tall test this weekend when it plays host to Tulsa at home on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Golden Hurricane comes in ranked No. 2 in the Midwest Region right behind the Herd. It will also be a match with first place bragging rights on the line once again as Marshall is 9-1 in C-USA and Tulsa is 7-2.
"It's another big weekend for us," Marshall head coach Mitch Jacobs said. "We've got our third first-place battle in as many weeks and a very good team that's on a roll coming in to our gym. We're looking forward to being home in front of our fans and hopefully we'll keep rolling."
Also, Marshall plays SMU at 1 p.m. Sunday to wrap up the weekend.
Statistically, the Herd continues to dominate in Conference USA. Marshall leads in every major offensive category except for service aces, where it lands in second in the standings. Individually, the Herd's Nickie Sanlin is first in hitting percentage in conference play at .380, followed by Kelly-Anne Billingy in second at a .366 clip. Billingy leads the league with 5.74 kills per contest, while Katie Stein leads in assists, 13.88 per game and aces, .68 per game.
