Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Morgan State
Volleyball Roars Past Morgan State, 3-0
9/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 20, 2008
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Marshall University's Kristin Marcum led all scorers with 10 kills and a .471 hitting percentage to help lift the Thundering Herd to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-9, 25-21) sweep of Morgan State in Saturday afternoon's non-conference volleyball match at Minges Coliseum.
With the victory, Marshall improves to 7-4 overall while Morgan State falls to 1-15 on the season. With the win, head coach Mitch Jacobs recorded his 139th victory at Marshall to surpass former head coach Linda Holmes and become the program's all-time leader in wins. Jacobs is also Florida Tech's all-time leader in wins.
"I think we need to really focus on our ball control," Jacobs said following the match. "But it was great to get Tanner out there setting. The team took care of business and played well."
Trailing 2-0 in the contest, Morgan State took an early 5-2 lead before the teams battled to three tie scores. Marshall posted a three-point lead at 13-10, before the Bears clawed back and took a 15-14 advantage. With the Bears clinging to a one-point lead at 19-18, a service ace by Taylor Tanner (Union, Ky.) and a solo block by Susan Waldie (Charleston, W.Va.) gave the Herd a 20-19 lead. Marshall used a pair of Marcum kills and scored five of the next seven points to seal the match.
Marshall stormed out to a 14-5 lead in the opening frame on the strength of two kills from Marcum, and one each from Jalicia Ross (Bank Village, Trinidad) and Emily Sullivan (Cincinnati, Ohio). The two also teamed for a block to highlight the early run. Marshall then used a 4-1 run to extend its lead to 19-6 before scoring six of the next 11 points to close out the set. Marcum finished the frame with four kills.
The second set resembled much of the first as the Herd collected eight consecutive points to help build a 14-3 lead. Megan Carlson (Andover, Minn.) and Cameron Yoho (Sisterville, W.Va.) registered a pair of kills while Kehl, Elizabeth Herman (Dunwoody, Ga.) and Elizabeth Fleming (South Bend, Ind.) added one each. Tanner chipped in with a service ace to highlight the early lead. Morgan State fought to within nine at 18-9, but three kills by Kehl and three Morgan State attacking errors over the next six points gave Marshall a 2-0 edge in the match. The Herd hit at a .391 clip (12 K, 3 E, 23 TA) in the second stanza.
Herman and Kehl each finished with six kills, while Yoho pitched in with five kills in the winning effort. Fleming passed out 15 assists through the first two sets while Tanner recorded 12 assists in the third frame. Jessica Dhoore (LaPorte, Ind.) finished with a match-best 12 digs, while Tanner and Carlson registered six each.
Morgan State's Erin Cox notched a team-high six kills in the losing effort while Rhyan Shy totaled 11 digs.
For their efforts througout the tournament, Fleming and Ross were named to the East Carolina Invitational All-Tournament Team.
East Carolina Invitational All-Tournament Team
Dina Beamon - Morgan State
Aiwane Iboaya - N.C. State
Jalicia Ross - Marshall
Elizabeth Fleming - Marshall
Amanda Lutzow - East Carolina
Trish Monroe - East Carolina
Melissa Zentner - East Carolina
Most Valuable Player - Melissa Zentner
Marshall returns to action Friday, September 26 for its Conference USA home opener against Memphis. Match-time is slated for 7:00 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center. The Herd will then host UAB, Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
