Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Team approach has Marshall volleyball among nation's leaders in blocks
10/2/2019 11:59:00 PM | Volleyball, Word on the Herd
The Thundering Herd, at 11-4, is tied for first place in Conference USA entering weekend road swing
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The hashtag is simple: #WEoverMe.
Since the hashtag debuted on the Marshall volleyball program's Twitter account July 11, first-year coach Ari Aganus and her staff have been consistent about its use. The players, by all indications, have bought in.
The latest example comes from Isa Dostal (Ljublana, Slovenia) and Destiny Leon (Bon Air West Arouca, Trinidad), a pair of middle blockers who have helped the Thundering Herd join the national leaders in team blocks this season. Dostal, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, and Leon, a 6-3 junior, were asked why Marshall (11-4 overall, 2-0 Conference USA) is so adept at blocks. Not surprisingly, the explanation involved a lot of "we" and none of "me."
"We have amazing coaches and the culture right now makes us a big family," Dostal said. "We work together and everything connects. We are so together and so involved."
Count 'em up – that's three uses of "we," with bonus points for citing the culture, family, togetherness and connection.
No wonder Marshall, which has won four straight matches and 12 of 13 sets in that stretch, is No. 3 nationally in blocks per set. The Herd, which travels to face Charlotte (Friday at 6 p.m.) and Western Kentucky (Sunday at 1 p.m.) this weekend, has averaged 3.00 blocks across 53 sets this season. Only VCU (3.36 blocks per set) and Colorado State (3.08) have averaged more.
"We trust in the process that our coach has for us and the culture she has here," Leon said. "We put in the hard work and stay dedicated through all of our practices. All of those things have helped us be in the top three in the nation in blocks, but mostly we trust in each other and we're family."
We, we, we.
Dostal ranks No. 12 nationally with 1.45 blocks per set. Leon is averaging 1.36 blocks per set, which is tied for No. 25 nationally.
"It's discipline," Dostal said. "That's the most important because through preseason we got way more disciplined than we were in the beginning. Our blocks are getting better; we're more disciplined. That's how defense works."
Marshall has 159.0 blocks this season, while its opposition has 90.5. In Sunday's four-set win against FIU, the Herd had 15 blocks – the second time this season the team has recorded at least that many blocks in a single match.
"Sometimes we might think we're not doing good at blocking," Leon said, "but when we're disciplined and making our blocks, we see the results."
That, Dostal said, is what will help the team through conference play. After starting the season 1-2, the Herd has won 10 of 12 matches. Entering this weekend – Marshall's first conference road trip – the team is in a three-way tie for first place. Dostal and Leon are Nos. 1 and 2 in the league in blocks, and that gives them confidence.
"It's confirmation that we're doing something right," Dostal said. "We're on the right path. We're going the right direction. It feels good. It's a good accomplishment and it is kind of fuel right now to keep us going."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
