Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Volleyball Preview
8/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 26, 2008
The future is now for the Thundering Herd volleyball program. Fresh off its sixth consecutive 20-plus win season under seventh year head coach Mitch Jacobs, the 2008 squad is poised to take its place amongst the great Marshall teams of the past.
Entering its fourth season in Conference USA, the Herd will put its 2007 regular season conference title on the line after finishing last season with a 15-1 league record. The 2007 season also marked the second time in three years in C-USA play that Marshall earned the regular season title.
Marshall will look to its two seniors Jalicia Ross and Taylor Tanner to provide leadership to a young and talented group that will take the court in 2008. Both Ross and Tanner understand what it takes to push to the next level as they were members of the 2005 team that won the C-USA regular season and tournament championships and earned an NCAA Tournament bid during the Herd's inaugural season in C-USA.
Joining Ross and Tanner are three juniors, four sophomores and five incoming freshmen. Sophomore setter Elizabeth Fleming's natural leadership ability and her performance during her rookie season will spark the extremely skilled underclassmen in achieving the goals set forth for the upcoming season.
Seniors
Ross and Tanner will be called upon to fill the void left by Marshall's four departed seniors, Kelly-Anne Billingy, Stephanie Cahill, Maggie Arias and Uche Ndubisi.
Ross registered career numbers during the 2007 campaign. She competed in 118 of Marshall's 123 games and notched a third-best 296 kills on 589 swings last season. Ross was also second on the team with 94 total blocks (22 solo and 72 assisted), and was a consistent force for the Herd in the middle throughout the season en route to earning a spot on the All-C-USA Second Team.
Tanner, a clutch player off the bench for Marshall last season, saw action in 93 games. Best known for her service and passing abilities, Tanner drilled 13 aces and dug 116 balls for the Herd during her junior season.
Juniors
Fronting the junior class is Kristin Marcum who played a prominent role during the Herd's run to its second C-USA regular season crown in three tries. Marcum blasted 158 kills a third-best 309 digs for Marshall in her second season in the green and white. Marcum's precise service game did not go unrewarded as she connected for a team-high 61 aces in 122 games played. She also made her presence felt at the net as she added 23 blocks (3 solo and 20 assisted). A good all around player, Marcum will find herself in the thick of Marshall's offensive and defensive schemes this season.
Classmate Emily Sullivan enjoyed the best season of her collegiate career in 2007. She registered a personal-best 107 kills, 21 digs, and 22 total blocks (4 solo, 18 assisted), and was used effectively as a situational player. She will continue to provide the Herd with solid numbers this fall.
Sophomores
Fleming left a lasting mark with her play in her debut season. Her 13.35 assists per game ranked her 13th in the nation, and second among all freshman setters. Fleming finished her debut season for the Herd with 1,642 assists in addition to 244 digs and 54 total blocks (4 solo, 50 assisted) en route to being named to the All-C-USA Second Team, and the AVCA All-Midwest Region Team. Fleming also garnered four C-USA Player of the Week awards in 2007. Fleming will be Marshall's vocal leader in 2008 and will once again lead by example.
Kelley Bugler provided the Herd with 23 kills and 24 total blocks (1 solo, 23 assisted) and played a positive role in the middle throughout the season for Marshall. Elizabeth Herman added 10 kills and assisted on three blocks in just 26 games on the floor for the Herd. Both players will look to play impact roles for Marshall in the upcoming season.
Rounding out the sophomore class is Layne Kehl. After red-shirting her rookie season, Kehl appeared in 38 games last season and added 12 kills and 13 total blocks (1 solo, 12 assisted) to team that amassed 1,934 team kills and 277.5 total blocks (93 solo, 369 assisted). With more playing time expected in 2008, Kehl will be a solid contributor to a very stellar Marshall team.
Freshmen
Marshall's incoming freshmen class includes three West Virginia natives, Susan Waldie, Meredith O'Malley and Cameron Yoho, in addition to Minnesota and Indiana residents Megan Carlson and Jessica Dhoore respectively.
Each of the newcomers brings with them an impressive list of accomplishments, and each will play pivotal roles in helping the Herd remain at the top of the C-USA volleyball world.
2008 Schedule
The Thundering Herd volleyball team will compete in three non-conference tournaments to open its 2008 campaign. Marshall's schedule kicks off August 29-31, at the University of Cincinnati Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Herd will square off against Tennessee Tech in its first match. This year's contest marks the second ever meeting between the two squads, with Marshall taking the victory in the first meeting back in 2002. The Herd will then face Wright State, a team that owns an 8-2 advantage over Marshall in a series that dates back to 1975. The Herd will then take on tournament host Cincinnati, who has a 7-3 series lead on Marshall that started in 1973.
Marshall will make the trek back to Huntington, W.Va. where it will host a regular season tournament. Hosting a tournament is nothing new to the Herd as Marshall was last year's C-USA Tournament host. Marshall will compete against Virginia Tech, ETSU and Western Kentucky. In 2007, Marshall dropped a 3-1 decision to Virginia Tech and lost a 3-0 contest to Western Kentucky. The Hoakies have an 11-4 advantage over the Herd, while the Hilltoppers own a 3-1 lead on Marshall in each series respectively. Marshall will look to get on track against ETSU, a team that has a 26-13 advantage in the series which dates back to 1970.
Following its home tournament, Marshall will break from tournament play. The Herd will face Morehead State at the Cam Henderson Center before traveling to Morgantown, W.Va. to take on in-state rival West Virginia. Despite the Mountaineers' 26-13 series lead, Marshall has won the last six meetings, including a 3-1 decision last season at the Blue/Green Classic tournament in Charleston, W.Va. The Herd then has a date with Miami (Ohio) before taking to the road for its final regular season tournament in Greenville, N.C.
The tournament, hosted by C-USA foe East Carolina, will see the Herd and Pirates square off on September 19 in the first league contest for both teams. Marshall took all three matches from East Carolina in 2007 and now has an 8-0 series advantage. The Herd will wrap up tournament action with its first-ever meeting against Morgan State, and its third all-time showdown with North Carolina State.
Marshall will open its C-USA home schedule against the Memphis Tigers and UAB Blazers. The Herd swept the Tigers in 2007 to post a 5-1 series advantage. The Herd and Blazers split their meetings a year ago with UAB claiming a 3-2 victory in the first contest, a CSTV match, before Marshall returned the favor with a sweep in the second to last regular season match of the season. Marshall now has 4-2 lead over UAB in the all-time series.
The Herd will then travel to Orlando, Fla. and Hattiesburg, Miss. for matches against UCF and Southern Miss. Sweeping both opponents in 2007, Marshall owns both series, posting an 8-1 lead on the Knights, and a 5-1 advantage over the Golden Eagles.
The Rice Owls and Houston Cougars are next up for the Herd at the Henderson Center. Marshall leads its series with Rice 3-0, and is ahead 4-1 in its series with Houston.
Marshall will travel to El Paso, Texas for a contest with UTEP and then to Tulane. The Herd is ahead in each series, 4-1 against UTEP and 2-1 against Tulane.
The Herd then welcomes SMU and 2007 C-USA Tournament champion Tulsa to Huntington. Marshall staked a 4-0 series lead against the Mustangs and took its regular season match with the Golden Hurricane, before dropping its semifinals showdown to give the teams a series split in 2007. Marshall and Tulsa are now tied 2-2 in the all-time series.
Marshall will round out its regular season conference slate when it travels to Memphis and UAB, and then hosts UCF, Southern Miss, and East Carolina. The Herd will then head to Memphis, Tenn. to compete in the 2008 C-USA tournament that takes place November 20-23.
