Marshall University Athletics
@HerdVolleyball Looks To Stay Perfect Against Eastern Kentucky
8/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall volleyball (3-0) looks to stay perfect on Tuesday, Sept. 1 as it welcomes the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0-3) to the Cam Henderson Center for a 6 p.m. first serve. This will be the fourth matchup in as many years, with Marshall winning two of the three contests.
CRAFT NAMED EAGLE CHALLENGE MVP; KELLERMAN, WEAVER NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
In an exciting weekend at the Eagle Challenge for the Herd, sophomore Justice Craft (Kentwood, Mich.) was named tournament Most Valuable Player. Craft recorded 19 kills, 12 total blocks (1 solo, 11 assists) and a .368 hitting percentage. Juniors Allie Kellerman (Louisville, Ky.) and Cassie Weaver (Huntington, W.Va.) also received honors as they were named to the All-Tournament team. Kellerman, the Herd's libero, collected 47 digs over 10 sets, which places her third in Conference USA to start the season with 4.70 digs per set. Outside hitter Weaver led Marshall in kills in the tournament with 38. Weaver also recorded 31 digs and two aces.
HAVE YOU HERD?
After dropping the first set of the season, Marshall has won its last nine sets, and has started the season with a 3-0 record. MU picked up its first win of the season over Indiana State in a game in which three members of the Herd recorded double-digit kills -- Craft, sophomore Taylor Pelton (Louisville, Ky.) and Weaver. In the second match, Marshall swept I-64 rival Morehead State with the stellar defensive performance that included seven team blocks and 22 attack errors forced. The Herd wrapped up the Eagle Challenge with a 3-0 victory over Canisius. Once again, defense played a pivotal role, which led to a 25-7 final set.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Over this past weekend, Herd coach Mitch Jacobs kept making reference to how stingy the defense was and how it helped propel the team to earning the 3-0 start. The stats back up the talk. The Marshall defense forced 77 opponent attack errors, while also recording 23 total blocks. Craft led the way with 12 total blocks (1 solo, 11 assists). Following in the footsteps of Craft was Lauren Legge (Pliny, W.Va.) with eight total blocks (2 solo, 6 assists) and Ally Kiekover (Grand Rapids, Mich.) with six total blocks (3 solo, 3 assists).
SWINGING OUTSIDE HITTERS
The outside hitters came out swinging to start the season for the Herd. Weaver and Pelton dominated the attack game, as they recorded 38 and 34 kills, respectively. Pelton notched a new career high in the first match of the season with 17 kills, while Weaver was consistent and registering 13, 12 and 13 kills in the three matches played.
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
Eastern Kentucky enters the midweek contest with a 0-3 record after falling to Troy (1-3), Valparaiso (0-3) and Chattanooga (0-3) at the Chattanooga Classic this past weekend. Senior Rachel Vick, who was named to the 2015 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team, recorded 23 kills with a .209 hit percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Celina Sanks leads the Colonels with 29 kills and also has registered 27 digs.
#BEHERD
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UP NEXT
After Tuesday's match, the Herd will hit the road to the Fairfield Invitational. Marshall will compete against New Hampshire on Friday at 4 p.m., then will play Saturday against Stony Brook at 12:30 p.m. and Boston College at 5:30 p.m.
