Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Penn (Penn State Tournament)
Herd Volleyball Dominates Penn in 3-0 Win
9/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 16, 2005
State College, Pa. - The Thundering Herd volleyball team bounced back with a vengeance Friday night with a dominating 3-0 (30-20, 30-22, 30-16) win over the Pennsylvania Quakers in the opener of the Penn State Classic at Rec Hall.
Marshall jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in the first game and controlled the first frame throughout. Penn would rally to bring the score to 7-5, but the Herd regained controlled with a 4-0 run and it would never look back.
"I think the key today unlike against Pitt was that when we jumped out to the early lead and then let them get back into it, we regrouped and took control by letting our offense do what it does best," Marshall head coach Mitch Jacobs said.
On Wednesday, Marshall was in every game against Pittsburgh, but couldn't capitalize on any opportunities. That wasn't the case against Penn.
Both teams battled in game two and it was neck to neck most of the way until with the score at 20-17, the Herd's Stephanie Cahill brought some thunder with three kills in six points to help bring the Herd's lead to 23-17. The Herd also used strong defense to help build its lead and take the 2-0 advantage in the match.
"Tonight we let our offense and defense build off each other and it helped us control the match," Jacobs said.
The Thundering Herd's impressive defense held the Quakers to a -.030 hitting percentage. The Herd had a total of 11 team blocks on the night opposed to one by Penn. The Herd also outdug the Quakers on the night 43-33.
For the Herd defensively, Amber Sims had five block assists on the night, Kelly-Anne Billingy had a block solo and two assists, Uche Ndubisi had two solos and three assists and Chelsea Lazar had a solo and an assists to lead the blocking charge for the Herd.
Offensively, Marshall hit .291 as a team led by a stellar 13 kill, .579 hitting performance by Cahill. Billingy also had 17 kills and a .406 hitting mark. Billingy completed a double-double on the night with 11 digs to lead the Herd in that category. Katie Stein had 37 assists and four aces on the night.
With the win, Marshall improves to 6-3 on the year, while Penn falls to 1-3. The Herd will be back in action at 1 p.m. Saturday at Rec Hall against Seton Hall and then face off against No. 4 ranked Penn State in the finale at 8 p.m. Both games will be available on Gametracker.
