Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Rhode Island
Volleyball Defeats Rhode Island, 3-1
8/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 29, 2009
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Elizabeth Fleming and Kristin Marcum each recorded double-doubles, while Elizabeth Herman tied a career-high with 19 kills to help the Marshall volleyball team propel past Rhode Island, 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 25-21), on Saturday afternoon at the Hofstra/Asics Invitational.
Fleming dished out a match-high 50 assists and added 11 digs in the four-set contest. Marcum tallied 12 kills and 19 digs to help the Herd improve to 2-0 on the young season.
Herman had a career-best match against the Rams (1-1). She set career-highs in total attack attempts (49) and digs (7) while tying her career-best mark for kills in a match. Herman recorded 19 kills last season on Sept. 28 at UAB.
"She (Herman) was the Herminator for us today," head coach Mitch Jacob said. "She has continued to play well, scoring us lots of points, along with playing the back row and serving great. She has played two very nice matches so far."
In the first set, MU traded points until URI held a two-point cushion, 12-10. The Herd went on a 7-1 spurt, thanks to three kills from Marcum, a kill from Herman and block assists from Emily Sullivan and Katy Schad, forcing a Rams' timeout.
A kill from URI's Rachel Zarazan shrunk the Herd's lead to two points, 22-20, but Herman connected for her fourth kill of the set and MU never looked back, taking the first set 25-21.
MU struggled in the second set on the offensive side of the court. The Herd fell behind as much as eight points, 18-10, but battled back to trail by only two, 21-19. During the 9-3 comeback rally, Sullivan recorded three of her 17 kills on the afternoon, while Herman chipped in with a pair of kills. The Rams were able to hold on, outscoring MU 4-2 the rest of the set to even the match at 1-1.
"We were definitely consistently inconsistent," Jacobs said. "But we kept fighting and played through our mistakes."
The Herd offense was connecting on all cylinders in the third set, to take a 2-1 match advantage. The team hit at a .438 attack percentage, tallying 16 kills on 32 attempts and only two errors. Fleming distributed 14 assists and four different players totaled three-or-more kills to win the set, 25-17.
Sullivan tallied five kills on eight attempts with only one error (.500 attacking percentage) and Herman collected six kills to help Marshall take the fourth and final set, 25-21, and win the match, 3-1.
In the four-set match, Sullivan finished with 17 kills on 26 attacks and committed just three errors for an impressive .538 attacking percentage. The senior chipped in with three digs and two block assists.
"Emily was clearly a difference maker for us today," Jacobs said.
Freshman Ryanne Milligan continued her solid play at the libero position, tying Marcum with a team-best 19 digs. Fellow freshman, Katy Schad, connected for eight kills and added 18 digs in the victory.
URI was led by Lindsay Potts with nine kills. Kalyn Klaess recorded a match-high 20 digs and five service aces, while Candice Kolkka and Rachel Zarazan dished out 20 and 16 assists respectively.
"We are seeing some good things happen," Jacobs said. "The team really had to fight to win this match against a solid Rhode Island team."
MU is back on the court tonight at 7 p.m. to play tournament host Hofstra. Live stats can be followed at the Hofstra athletics website: www.gohofstra.com
