Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
East Tennessee State
Volleyball Swings Past ETSU, 3-1
9/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 6, 2008
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University's Emily Sullivan (Cincinnati, Ohio) totaled a match-best 14 kills to help lift the Thundering Herd to a 3-1 (25-19, 25-13, 19-25, 25-19) win over East Tennessee State in Saturday afternoon's volleyball match at the Cam Henderson Center.
With the win Marshall improves to 4-1 on the season, while ETSU falls to 2-3 overall.
"I thought we played extremely well in sets one and two," head coach Mitch Jacobs stated following the contest. "We were able to withstand their runs."
Leading 2-1 in the match, Marshall surged to a 17-11 lead in the fourth set. ETSU was able to pull to within three at 15-18 and then again at 17-20, but a pair of kills by Kristin Marcum (Arlington, Texas) and an assisted block by Sullivan and Layne Kehl (Mountain Top, Pa.) sealed the Herd's victory.
"It was great to see us regroup in set four," Jacobs said. "We were fueled by the block, and I think that the block got us energized." Five of Marshall's 11 total blocks came in that fourth set.
Following three ties and a pair of lead changes in the opening frame, Marshall, leading 19-18, scored six of the next seven points on the strength of two Sullivan kills and received a service ace by Marcum to post a 1-0 advantage in the contest.
With the score 11-5 in favor of Marshall, the Herd used a 9-0 run to continue its momentum and post an early 19-5 cushion in the second frame. Cameron Yoho (Sisterville, W.Va.) and Sullivan notched three kills in the stanza as Marshall posted a 25-13 win and two-set lead in the match.
After taking an early 2-0 lead in the match, Marshall fell behind early as three Buccaneers notched two kills, while McKayla Barber chipped in three kills, to take the third stanza.
"Our ball control broke down in the third set and that got our offense off track." Jacobs stated.
Marcum finished with 10 kills and six digs, while Megan Carlson (Andover, Minn.) and Jessica Dhoore (LaPorte, Ind.) totaled 10 digs apiece.
Kehl added six assisted blocks, while Marcum chipped in four. Sullivan and Yoho added three assisted blocks apiece. Elizabeth Fleming (South Bend, Ind.) controlled the Herd offense, handing out 40 assists, and notching nine digs in the winning effort.
The Buccaneers received seven kills from Barber and Jamie Stancliff, while Jen Neice registered a match-high 13 digs in the losing effort.
Marshall wraps up tournament play with a contest against 5-0 Western Kentucky. That match is slated for 7:00 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center.
