Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
West Virginia
Marshall Volleyball Advances Past West Virginia, 3-1
9/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 15, 2007
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Marshall University senior outside hitter Stephanie Cahill (Louisville, Ky.) tallied a match-high 19 kills and the Herd had four players reach double-digit kills en route to a 3-1 (30-28, 29-31, 30-24, 30-17) victory over West Virginia University in Friday night's non-conference Friends of Coal Blue/Green Classic volleyball match at the Charleston Civic Center.
With the win,
"It's an amazing feeling every time we win the Golden Ball," head coach Mitch Jacobs said following the match. "This is by far the best
Riding a 2-1 lead in the match, the Herd jumped to an early 18-8 lead in game four.
In the first game, the teams fought to eight lead changes before
"Kelly started out hot and cooled off a bit, and that's when Uche (Ndubisi) really picked it up," Jacobs explained.
Tied 12-12 in the second frame, the Herd used an 11-3 run to post a 23-15 lead thanks to six kills from senior middle hitter Uche Ndubisi (Indianapolis, Ind.) before the Mountaineers responded with thirteen of the next fifteen points to knot the game at 28-28. Trailing 30-29, the Herd was able to fight off game-point with a kill by Ross, but
Fleming handed out 63 helpers in the win for the Herd, while Ndubisi finished with 12 kills on the night.
In the third game, the Herd jumped out to a 11-2 lead when Ross and Fleming teamed up twice to block a Mountaineer attack. Ross also added a solo block during that span. From there the Herd pushed its lead to 17-7 before
With the score at 21-14, the Mountaineers were able to pull to within four at 27-23, but that would be as close as they would get as Cahill blasted her fifteenth and sixteenth kills of the match to seal the game and give Marshall a 2-1 advantage.
Senior libero Maggie Arias (
"I thought Liz ran the offense very well," Jacobs said. "And Cahill had a fabulous offensive night. She's been working real hard on her defensive assignments and she's still taking steps."
Billingy finished with 18 kills and 11 digs on the night, while Ross added 12 kills in the win. In addition to her 19 kills, Cahill registered 12 digs.
The Herd returns Friends of Coal Blue/Green Classic action Saturday, when it hosts Pepperdine at 11:30 a.m. at the
