Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
North Texas
@HerdVolleyball Drops First League Loss of Season
10/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Box Score DENTON, Texas -- Marshall volleyball (9-10) suffered its first conference loss of the year, falling in a 3-2 battle to North Texas (11-6) in Denton on Sunday, and snapping a four-match win streak.
The Herd dropped to 3-1 in C-USA, while the Mean Green improved to 2-2 in league action.
Juniors Jillian Shemanski (Jupiter, Fla.) and Lauren Legge (Pliny, W.Va.) each turned in season-high performances; Shemanski recorded 13 kills and Legge led the squad with 14. Shemanski turned in a match-best .545 hitting percentage, while Legge tallied a .300 efficiency of her own.
"Today was a tough fought match," head coach Mitch Jacobs said. "We kept getting ourselves back into it, but North Texas was just good in the fifth."
In the opening set, Marshall fell behind by as many as six points before cutting the North Texas lead back to come within three. The Mean Green took the set 25-20.
The Herd came out firing in game 2, winning the first point off a Cassie Weaver (Huntington) slam and then climbing to a six-point, 13-7 lead. North Texas inched its way back into a threatening position, trailing 20-19. Marshall pushed the set, taking the next five of seven points and grabbing the game 25-21.
With the match tied at one game apiece, the Herd trailed by as many as six points in the third set before falling 25-20. Marshall responded forcefully in the fourth stanza, controlling the game from the very beginning and quickly going up by six at 10-4.
Weaver slammed three kills in the Herd's first 10 points, and Shemanski worked a back-to-back-to-back kill sequence to add insurance for the Herd as they went up 12-4. North Texas went on a small three point run to narrow the Herd gap, before an Ally Kiekover (Grand Rapids, Mich.) service ace brought set point and a Mean Green miscue delivered the fourth set win to Marshall with a 25-16 score.
The final set began at stalemate, as the teams stayed within one point of each other until North Texas responded taking three straight points. Marshall battled back to tie the set once more at six all, and the Mean Green went on a 6-0 rally at 12-6.
The Herd was unable to contain the late set explosion from North Texas, and the Mean Green took the set 15-8 and thus, the match 3-2.
Two-time Offensive Player of the Week Carnae Dillard led the match with 24 kills for North Texas.
Marshall will head back on the road next weekend, traveling to new C-USA member Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky., on Friday, Oct. 10 and then heading to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss on Sunday, Oct. 12.
