Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Houston
Marshall Volleyball Falls to Houston
11/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 17, 2006
Box Score
Download Free Acrobat Reader
HOUSTON - The Marshall Thundering Herd volleyball team and Houston Cougars played another five-game epic on Friday in the quarterfinals of 2006 Conference USA Volleyball Tournament. C-USA Player of the Year Kelly-Anne Billingy and her 44 kills were not enough to lead the Herd to victory as Houston took the tournament win 3-2 (30-26, 19-30, 30-27, 19-30, 15-13).
Billingy would end the match with a C-USA tournament match record and Marshall single match record with her 44 kills, topping her previous best of 38 and only one kill away from tying the C-USA single game mark. A feat equally as impressive for the junior outside hitter was her .402 attack percentage coming off 82 swings with only 11 errors. Billingy also went on to record her eighth double-double of the season with 15 digs.
"Kelly Billingy is just the best player in this league," Marshall head coach Mitch Jacobs said. "Her humble behavior makes her one of the best kids to be around."
The Herd (20-11) and the Cougars (19-14) would trade wins each game. Houston's hitting percentage of .308 in game one carried them to the initial win. In game two the Herd stepped up with an average of .333 taking that game. Games three, four and five would carry the same back-and-forth swings between the two clubs.
"Houston put together one of their finest matches of the year," Jacobs said. They are extremely tough."
"They beat us because they played better. I thought we played great but they were just awesome."
Combined Marshall and Houston's top three hitters posted similar numbers, with 64 and 62 kills respectively. Marshall held the edge in total kills with 80 while Houston had 71. However, the Cougars held a large advantage with 18.5 total blocks compared to 9 for the Herd.
"It's disappointing but our team put everything they had on the floor," Jacobs said.
"We had our opportunity but Houston kept stepping up. They and Bill Walton had a great plan. They beat Tulsa and Tulane on the same floor (two of Marshall's loses on the season)."
In her final C-USA match, senior setter Christin Bimberg set her career-high with 69 assists and added her ninth double-double of the year with 14 digs. Leading the team with her 13th double-double was Louisville, Ky. nativeStephanie Cahill with 12 kills and 13 digs. The Indianapolis, Ind. duo of Maggie Arias and Uche Ndubisi finished the match with 20 digs and 10 kills respectively. Bimberg and Ndubisi each recorded four blocks only to be outdone by Chelsea Lazar's team-high of five.
The Herd may have lost its first ever Conference USA tournament game but Jacobs said his team showed an abundance of resilience.
"I'd be really happy if we won but I'm extremely proud of our women," he said. "They could've gone away but not this team."
"We have never lost a C-USA match in three games. We have played two full seasons and no one has shut us out and I am damn proud of these women and they never quit."
Jacobs said even though his team would not be crowned the 2006 tournament champion he still believed the season was not a failure and it will serve as motivation for 2007.
"We had a lot of adversity and some injuries we overcame during the season," he said. "This team kept fighting and we had loses on the road that could've sent this team in a downward spiral but we never quit. The greatest thing about these women is they show up to improve."
"This team will be more determined now than ever. I believe we overachieved during the season and I believe that regular seasons tell a whole lot more than a three day tournament."
Marshall will be the host for the 2007 C-USA Volleyball Championships and the Herd will be returning all but one player. Jacobs said that would only add to his team's tenacity for next season.
"We are going to be more determined than ever to regain the conference championship on our home court," he said.
The Herd still has one final match remaining of 2006 when it will travel to take on the Louisville Cardinals in the Cardinal Thanksgiving Challenge on Friday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. The match will be available on GameTracker at www.herdzone.com.
