Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Middle Tennessee State
@HerdVolleyball Fends Off Middle Tennessee, 3-1
10/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. -- Marshall volleyball earned its third straight victory Wednesday, Oct. 21 at the Cam Henderson Center in a 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22) decision against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
Marshall improves to 15-8 (6-4 C-USA), while Middle Tennessee drops to 5-18 (3-6 C-USA).
The Herd was paced by junior Cassie Weaver (Huntington, W. Va.), who recorded 22 kills and 19 digs. Weaver wasn't the only shining star for the Herd though, as Junior Ally Kiekover (Grand Rapids, Mich.) recorded 18 kills for the Herd, and Sophomore Taylor Pelton (Louisville, Ky.) had 12. Junior libero Allie Kellerman (Louisville, Ky.) had 17 digs, while sophomore setter Kayla Simmons (Gainesville, Fla.) had 42 assists.
In the first set, the Herd went off to a hot start, getting five points in a row, including a kill by Simmons and an ace by Kassidy Lemons (Prichard W. Va.). After a slight trip up, the Herd took the game back over, scoring two more kills to push the lead to eight points. From there, Marshall went on to take the first set, 25-20.
For the second set, the Herd found itself in a tightly contested battle, with both teams going wire-to-wire throughout the set, including 15 tied scores and five lead changes. The Herd defense stepped things up in the 2nd set, recording four blocks, with Lauren Legge (Pliny W. Va.) accounting for two. Middle Tennessee's offense was too much as it claimed a four point set win.
Coming out of the break, the Herd was swinging as it recorded two quick points, but the Blue Raiders then answered with 2 points of their own. Momentum started swinging towards Middle Tennessee with it taking three unanswered points, forcing a Marshall timeout. Coming out of the stoppage, the Herd soon tied the Blue Raiders at nine apiece after a kill by Ashley Arnold (Myrtle Beach, S.C.). After Middle Tennessee surged out to a 17-12 lead, Marshall overcame a five point deficit to tie MT at 23 by forcing four attack errors. The Herd closed out the set claiming the final three points, including a set-point kill by Weaver.
The fourth set began similar to the third, with Marshall scoring two unanswered points, then the Blue Raiders responding with two of their own. From then on, the two teams continued trading points until they were tied at 12. The Herd offense began to click, as it jumped out to a 15-12 lead. With the set coming down to the wire and Marshall holding a slim lead at 21-20, the Herd powered through by taking two of the final three points off of kills by Kiekover.
COACH'S CORNER
Quotes from head coach Mitch Jacobs
On preparing for Middle Tennessee
"One thing we knew was just how hard they work, and you have to be concerned when you're playing a team like that. They had an overloaded non-conference schedule, but at 3-5 in the conference with a win at Rice, we knew that they were good. I'm really not sure how we won this one, because we got outplayed for long stretches of this match, but the heart and effort in sets three and four really showed. This team refused to go down, refused to let a ball hit the floor, and I'm really proud of their effort."
On Cassie Weaver
"Cassie was able to hang in there. Her knee started to bother her during that third set, and she really hung in there and battled through the pain. Her numbers were unbelievable and she played extremely well down the stretch."
On what to expect from Charlotte, Friday's opponent
"They're looking at us and thinking to themselves that this is a must-win game, and we have to go in there and be able to play on the road like we were able to last week. Their coach is a proven winner at each of her previous stops, and she'll have her team ready because we know just how good of a coach she really is."
UP NEXT
The Herd travels to Charlotte on Friday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m.
