Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
West Virginia
@HerdVolleyball Downs West Virginia to Reclaim `Golden Ball'
9/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Marshall volleyball reclaimed the 'Golden Ball' from in-state rival West Virginia on Friday in the nightcap of day one of the West Virginia Capital Classic. The Herd defeated the Mountaineers, 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 26-28, 26-24, 15-7).
Marshall was powered by five players with double-digit kills. Cassie Weaver led the Herd with 14 kills, while Jac'cara Walker had 12 of her own. Madison Hill tallied 11 and Ally Kiekover and Madelyn Cole each had 10. Cole dished out 30 assists and Kayla Simmons followed with 29. Allie Kellerman led the Herd with 23 digs. Hill had a team-high seven blocks.
The first set was all Marshall, as it jumped out to an 8-3 lead that featured two kills from Walker. The Herd offense kept the pressure alive as it put together its largest lead of the set at 14-7 following a Hill kill. West Virginia didn't go away quietly, as it rallied to bring the match with three, but Marshall was able to hold to take the set, 25-17. Weaver and Walker had a team-high four kills in the set.
In the second set, West Virginia scored the first three points and took control of the set. From there, the Mountaineers went on to extend its lead to 19-7, their largest of the set. The Herd was able to rally off the heels of its defense. Marshall forced three attack errors, which sparked the offense. Taylor Pelton added three kills in the rally to bring the set to 24-15. Marshall scored the next five points that included kills by Weaver, Close and Kiekover. Trailing by only four, WVU was able to hold on for the set victory following a Herd error.
Marshall opened the third set on a 5-2 run, but West Virginia was able to respond with five straight points to take a two point lead. From there, neither team would gain a significant edge as the largest lead was three. After a back-and-forth set and tied at 26, West Virginia was able to take the set, 28-26, after two attack errors on the Herd.
With its backs up against a wall in the fourth, Marshall found a way to extend the match to a fifth set. Cole and Weaver each had four kills in the set, while Walker and Hill had 2. After trading points throughout the set, Marshall found itself with a 24-20 lead. West Virginia made it interesting by scoring the next four points to tie the set at 24. The Herd took a 25-24 lead with a Shelby Conley kill, and clinched the set, 26-24 by forcing an attacking error.
In the tiebreaking set, Walker gave the Herd the early edge with a kill from Conley. The two teams traded points until Marshall took a 6-4 lead following a WVU service error. The Mountaineers rallied to tie the match at six. With the score tied, the Herd earned three kills in a row to take a 9-6 lead, which forced a timeout. Following the break, Marshall scored the next six points of seven points to seal the five set win.
COACH'S CORNER
Quotes by head coach Mitch Jacobs
On the matchââ'¬Â¦
"What a great night for the Herd. This has been just a great match two years in a row. Last year, they came back and took the fourth set and beat us in the fifth. When it ends, it's heartbreaking when you're on the losing side, but it's jubilant on the winning side. But when you step back and look at the match and look at the scores and you realize how competitive it was all the way through. That's just two programs going at it. There was a lot of heart out there on both sides. There is such a future in this rivalry. I always look forward to this match. It was just fantastic."
On Audrey Shannon's playââ'¬Â¦
"We had a lot of different people step up tonight, like Audrey Shannon. While she didn't have a lot of digs and numbers, I thought what she did in that fourth set by taking on West Virginia's Morgan Montgomery. Montgomery was having her way and Audrey just picked up a couple balls that were just amazing and it really helped the momentum shift."
On the team's play following the third setââ'¬Â¦
"One of the points I made at the end of the third set was that we were playing so hard, but we'd get blocked and a couple of players weren't ready for coverage. And that didn't happen again in the fourth or fifth set. We were there for each other. We were 18 strong. We've got a lot of kids that can play and you can't keep 18 people happy. You just have to hope that people buy in and when it's their time to get on that court that they shine. Just like Audrey did tonight, just like Kassidy Lemons has with her serve and pass."
#STAMPEDE16
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UP NEXT
Marshall closes out the Capital Classic on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Indiana State. The Sycamores are 1-1 in the tournament so far, as they dropped a five set match to five and swept Morehead State.
