Marshall University Athletics
Volleyball Ready for Pirate Invitational
9/12/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 12, 2012
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall volleyball (8-4) looks to continue on a 5-match win streak in which the Herd has won the past 12 sets straight with the Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C. this weekend.
The Thundering Herd will face off against tournament host and league opposition, East Carolina (1-8), in the first match on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Marshall will follow with matches against Coastal Carolina (1-5) and UMBC (5-9) on Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
After sweeping Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday night, Marshall enters the tournament with an 8-4 record. The Herd is led on offense by outside hitters Laura Der and Katy Schad. Der leads the team with 146 kills and 4.17 kills per set. Schad marks 139 kills for the season and is hitting .224 for the season.
Setter Sammie Bane has 419 assists for the year and posts a 9.74 assist per set average. On defense, libero Dorothy Rahal leads the team with 161 digs, while freshman middle blocker Jillian Shemanski has a team-high 37 blocks. As a team, the Herd is averaging 11.7 kills per set and is second in the conference in service aces with 1.4 per game.
SCOUTING ECU
The Pirates register a 1-8 record for the season with its lone win coming against Bethune-Cookman on Aug. 25. East Carolina is led by Hannah Allgood, who has 79 kills for the season and 94 digs. She is followed by Nicole Willis with 66 kills and a team-high 3.67 kills per set average. Setter Zarah Cecich has earned 209 assists for the season. On defense, the Pirates are led by Shelby Beasley with 111 digs and Kelly Derby with 36 blocks.
SCOUTING UMBC
The Retrievers have improved to a 5-9 record after most recently defeating Saint Francis and Howard this past week. UMBC is led by Sherelle Walker, who combines for a team-high 140 kills and a 2.86 kill per set average. She is followed by Hannah Schmidt with 119 kills. Schmidt leads the team in service aces and digs with 13 and is second on the team in digs with 127. Setter Paige Miller has 389 assists and an 8.28 assists per set average. On defense, Ali Goc records 168 digs, while Emily Witsaman has 56 blocks. Seven different players have over 10 blocks, while five of those players have over 20 blocks for the season.
SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA
The Chanticleers have only played in six matches so far on the season and have not played since Sep. 1. Coastal Carolina is 1-5 for the season, with their only win coming against Howard. Meghan Laffin leads Coastal Carolina with 54 kills, while Lian Bernett and Gabriella Horvath have 47 and 45 kills, respectively. Setter Lauren Alejo has 147 assists per set and leads the team in service aces with 10. Seven different players have over 20 digs, while Jamie DiMaggio leads with 70. Katie Martin has a team-high 13 blocks.
Be sure to stay tuned to HerdZone.com for releases and stats from this weekend's events.
