Volleyball Heads South for two Matches at Florida Atlantic

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Marshall volleyball team is back in action with a trip to the Sunshine State for two matches at Florida Atlantic, Oct. 8-9. First serve for both Friday and Saturday is set for 1 p.m.

The Thundering Herd enters the weekend at 5-12 overall and 1-3 in Conference USA. The Owls are 9-8 overall and also 1-3 in league play.

Match Details
Marshall Match Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: FAUsports
Live Stream: FRIDAY | SATURDAY on CUSAtv
Series History: 11 all-time meetings – Marshall leads 7-4
Last Meeting: March 14-15, 2021 in Huntington – Herd took both matches in three sets each

Marshall is coming off a split against Middle Tennessee at home, Oct. 1-2. The Herd won the first meeting in a five-set, comeback. Marshall trailed 2-0 in the match before storming back to take the last three. Graduate student Ciara DeBell had seven kills in the third set to help begin the comeback. The Herd hit .457 in the third set, .483 in the fourth and .500 in the fifth. DeBell finished with 18 kills and fellow graduate student Sydney Lostumo had 50 assists. Senior Macy McElhaney and sophomore Anna Calcagno had 12 kills each and both hit over .400.

The Herd fell in four sets in the second match against the Blue Raiders. Marshall won the second set 25-23 to tie the match at 1-1 but couldn't keep the momentum going. DeBell tallied nine of her 17 kills in the second set.

DeBell continues to lead the team on offense with 231 kills and an average of 3.25 per set. She is also second in digs with 190. Graduate student Destiny Leon is second with 128 kills and of course is the leader at the net defensively with 86 total blocks, good for an average of 1.26 per set. McElhaney totaled 27 kills in the two matches against Middle Tennessee and is third on the Herd with 111 for the season. She picked her average back above 2.00 (2.02) per set. Junior Lydia Montague is fourth with 99 kills and is second in blocks with 67.

Lostumo achieved another career milestone in the Saturday loss to MTSU. The Herd's setter recorded her 2,000th career assist. She now has 2,010 in her collegiate career with 1,618 coming at Marshall and 392 at Fresno State. Lostumo is 10th all-time at Marshall in career assists and needs 49 to move ahead of Colette Marquis (1992-94) for ninth place. Lostumo has tied her career-high with 573 assists this season, an average of 8.07 per set. She also leads the team with 20 service aces.

Senior libero Sarah Schank leads the Herd with 339 digs, good for fifth in the NCAA and second in conference. She is averaging 4.77 per set. Schank has 1,041 in her career and needs six to move ahead of Jessica Downs (1996-99) for 13th all-time.

Marshall continues to lead the nation in total blocks with 178. The Herd has 11 players who have registered at least three total blocks this season, eight with 10 or more and four with 30 or more. Along with Leon and Montague, McElhaney (43) and junior Essence Clerkley (32) have been key contributors at the net.

Following the matches down in Boca Raton, the Herd will return to the Cam Henderson Center to take on Old Dominion, Oct. 15-16.

The Opponent
Florida Atlantic opened the season with a 7-3 record but have struggled lately going 1-6 over its last seven contests. The Owls ended non-conference play going 0-3 on its home court against Miami, UCF and Florida Gulf Coast getting swept in each match. Florida Atlantic began Conference USA play with a sweep over Old Dominion before falling in four sets to the Monarchs in the second meeting. The Owls dropped both matches at Charlotte in its last outings, Oct. 1-2.

Florida Atlantic has three players averaging over 2.00 kills per set in Klara Zarnovicka (199 – 3.43 per set), Katelynn Robine (150 – 2.50 per set) and Christine Jarmin (144 – 2.44 per set). The Owls have gone with a mix of three players at setter this season, all averaging over 4.00 assists per set. Stephanie Young leads with 269 and an average of 4.72 per set. MiaBella English has 256 assists and 4.65 per set. Noelle "Nono" Stephens has 85 assists in 21 sets played, good for an average of 4.05 per set. Stephens put up a career-high 21 in the second match against Charlotte.

The Owls have four players with at least 10 service aces. Zarnovicka leads with 30 which leads the league, and she is second in aces per set at 0.52.

Camryn Vogler leads the team in digs with 201. There are four more players with over 100 digs this season. At the net, Florida Atlantic is averaging 2.08 blocks per set, good for sixth in the league. Four players have at least 30 total blocks, led by Lauryn Green with 43.

Following the matches against Marshall, the Owls make a quick trip down to Miami for two contests against FIU, Oct. 15-16.

For all the latest information about Marshall volleyball, follow @HerdVolleyball on Twitter and Marshall University Volleyball on Facebook.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

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Volleyball Heads South for two Matches at Florida Atlantic

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Players Mentioned

Anna Calcagno

Essence Clerkley

Ciara DeBell

Destiny Leon

Sydney Lostumo

Macy McElhaney

Lydia Montague

Sarah Schank

Marshall University Athletics