Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
UTEP
Herd Defeats UTEP 3-1 Sunday
10/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall volleyball (11-14, 5-5 C-USA) improved to .500 in conference play, defeating UTEP (4-17, 2-8 C-USA) on Sunday by a score of 3-1. The Herd took sets one and two 25-16, 25-9, before falling in game three 25-22 and coming back to take the match with a 25-18 set four.
Junior Lauren Legge (Pliny, W.Va.) continued her offensive rampage, collecting 18 kills with a .500 hitting percentage to lead the Marshall offense. Sophomore Ally Kiekover (Grand Rapids, Mich.) added to the Herd scoring front with 15 kills of her own, and fellow second-year Elyse Panick (Chicago) record her fifth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 13 digs.
Freshman Justice Craft (Kentwood, Mich.) recorded a career-high hitting efficiency of .444, picking up five kills during the contest. Senior Sammie Bane (Brownstown, Ind.) turned in her 11th double-double, collecting 15 digs and 55 assists, falling just two shy of her career-high.
"I thought I was dreaming with the efficiency we played with in the first two sets," head coach Mitch Jacobs began. "We looked like a veteran team that was on a roll, instead of the young group we have. Reality struck in set three, when UTEP put a lot more pressure on us with their serve, and I was proud to see us rebound the way we did and finish out the match."
In the opening frame, Marshall picked up the first two points and continued to control the game, going up by as many as seven points before taking the game 25-16. Panick led the Herd offense, collecting five kills in the set.
Marshall turned in a dominating performance in set two, limiting the Miners to single digits. The Herd went on two separate five point runs to solidify its lead. In one sequence, Legge pounded a kill, only to follow up after the next point with back-to-back slams to help Marshall take the set 25-9.
Following intermission, UTEP took its first lead of the match at the 8-7 mark of game three. The Miners increased their lead by as many as six points, before the Herd battled its way back, coming within one before succumbing the set 25-22.
With Marshall up 2-1, the Herd regained momentum, going up by as many as eight points in the ultimately final frame. Marshall went on a four point rally during the heart of the set to add insurance and went on to take the game 25-18.
"Lauren [Legge], Kiko [Ally Kiekover], and Jill [Shemanski] really did a nice job start to finish, staying efficient throughout the match," Jacobs finished, "But, the real key to start was the way Cassie [Weaver] and Elyse [Panick] took care of the ball in sets one and two. When they do that, we become complete. Sammie [Bane] again ran the ball beautifully."
Weaver collected seven kills and 11 digs during the match, while Shemanski recorded a career-high .833 hitting percentage with five slams.
The Herd will travel to Ruston, La., and Murfreesboro, Tenn., next weekend to face Louisiana Tech on Friday, Oct. 31 at 8 p.m., and Middle Tennessee on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.
