Marshall University Athletics
Thundering Invitational Volleyball Tournament Starts Friday
9/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University volleyball team will host the Thundering Invitational Tournament on Friday, Sept. 3 and Saturday, Sept. 4 for the team's home opening weekend at the Cam Henderson Center. The Thundering Herd will compete against Cleveland State, High Point and Hofstra over the two-day tournament.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 3
Game 1: Cleveland State vs. High Point - 4:30 p.m.
Game 2: Marshall vs. Hofstra - 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 4
Game 3: Cleveland State vs. Hofstra - 10:30 a.m.
Game 4: Marshall vs. High Point - 1 p.m.
Game 5: Hofstra vs. High Point - 5 p.m.
Game 6: Marshall vs. Cleveland State - 7:30 p.m.
MARSHALL (0-3)
After a tough opening weekend at the Shamrock Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame, the Herd looks to rebound inside the friendly confines of the Cam Henderson Center. Marshall is an impressive 64-16 all-time under ninth-year head coach Mitch Jacobs at home. Jacobs is closing in on an important milestone of his own - his next victory will mark the 350th of his collegiate volleyball coaching career. His 18-year career record is 349-204 and is 167-93 with the Herd.
Elizabeth Fleming tallied her 4,000th career assist at the Shamrock Invitational in her hometown of South Bend, Ind. on Aug. 27. The senior setter was named to the Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament team, along with classmate Elizabeth Herman.
Herman topped MU in kills in all three matches and is averaging 4.10 kills/set. Last season against Hofstra, she tallied a career-high 22 kills against the Pride en route to being named the Hofstra/Asics Invitational MVP.
MU holds a 10-2 record all-time against the three squads in the tournament: Cleveland St. (3-2), High Point (6-0) and Hofstra (1-0).
Player to Watch: #4 Laura Der, OH - The true freshman has led the Herd in digs in all three matches. In her first collegiate appearance, the Clarksville, Ind., native recorded a match-high 20 digs. She is averaging 3.91 digs/set.
Hofstra (1-3)
The Pride earned its first victory of the season, defeating Iona, 3-0, on Sept. 1ââ'¬Â¦Hofstra dropped all three matches of the Hofstra/Asics Invitational from Aug. 27-28ââ'¬Â¦team hit an impressive .373 clip vs. Ionaââ'¬Â¦Friday night's match vs. Marshall is the first away contest in 2010.
Player to Watch: #3 Nikki Kinnier, OH - RS-Freshman tallied 14 kills on a .423 attacking percentage versus Ionaââ'¬Â¦averaging 2.38 kills and 1.85 digs per set.
High Point (2-2)
Enters the tournament 2-2ââ'¬Â¦won 2-of-3 at the High Point University Classic Aug. 27-28ââ'¬Â¦lost last two matches vs. Appalachian St. and at Elonââ'¬Â¦utilizes two setters in offensive rotation (Kaminskas & Simpson)ââ'¬Â¦holding opponents to a .090 attacking percentage.
Player to Watch: #11 Julie Hershkowitz, L - The senior is averaging 4.79 digs/set and has only tallied two reception errorsââ'¬Â¦she had 23 digs in a five-set loss to ASU.
Cleveland State (3-0)
Comes to Huntington sporting a perfect 3-0 recordââ'¬Â¦swept the East Carolina Classic Aug. 27-28ââ'¬Â¦after battling Liberty for a five-set win, swept the host Pirates and the Charlotte 49ers.
Player to Watch: #17 Kara Koch, OH - Tops the Vikings in kills (44) and kills/set (4.00)ââ'¬Â¦also collects 2.00 digs/setââ'¬Â¦connected 16 times on the offensive side for a three-game sweep vs. Charlotte.
GameTracker and live video streaming can be viewed for all Marshall matches at HerdZone.com. All neutral games will also have GameTracker.
Admission for the tournament is $5 for adults and $3 for children 13-and-under. There is no charge for Marshall students.
