Volleyball Caps Trip with Second Sweep of Florida Atlantic

Game Book Final (PDF)

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Marshall volleyball team finished off its trip to the Sunshine State with a second sweep (25-13, 25-23, 25-21) over the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday.

The Thundering Herd improved to 7-12 overall and 3-3 in Conference USA action. The Owls drop to 9-10 overall and 1-5 in league play.

"I am so proud of this team and the resilience they showed this weekend," Herd head coach Ari Aganus said. "We had a lot of adversity coming into the weekend and every single person on our team stepped up. Anna (Calcagno) had a great bounce back from yesterday offensively and we were able to lean on Macy (McElhaney) with her offense and defense. Ciara (DeBell) stepped up for us in the second set and continued to lead us with her 14 kills and her blocking. Essence (Clerkley) was a threat at the net again and it will be exciting to see her continue to progress."

Graduate student Ciara DeBell led the team with 14 kills with seven coming in the third set as Marshall put away the Owls. DeBell recorded her 1,300th kill in her Marshall career with her first kill in the second set. She now has 1,311 during her time with the Herd and 1,397 in her collegiate career. DeBell is still fourth all-time in program history.

Senior Macy McElhaney came through with her first career double-double, tallying 12 kills and a career-best 11 digs. McElhaney had five kills and hit .556 in the first set. Sophomore Anna Calcagno finished with eight kills and hit .500 for the match. Junior Essence Clerkley tallied three kills while graduate student Sydney Lostumo and freshman Brynn Brown had two each.

At the net, the Herd recorded nine total team blocks. Despite Marshall not totaling as many blocks as Friday (14), the Herd's defense still forced 23 attack errors from the Owls. Senior Zoie Holley tied her career-high yet again with four. Clerkley and DeBell both tallied four blocks each. Clerkley had all four of her blocks in the first set, as the Owls adjusted its attack to try and get away from the junior middle blocker who finished the weekend with 13 total blocks. Brown contributed two blocks and Calcagno had one.

Lostumo tallied 31 assists, her 14th match of the season and 30th of her career with at least 30 helpers. Lostumo was close to a double-double, finishing just short with eight digs. Senior libero Sarah Schank tied McElhaney for the team lead in digs with 11. It was Schank's 48th career match with 10 or more digs. She now has 1,066 in her career. Schank also tallied two service aces and now has 66 in her career. Junior Meagan Camden ended the day with nine digs.

The first set featured four ties and four lead changes all coming early. Marshall regained the lead at 6-5 on a Florida Atlantic attack error. A service ace from Schank and then a solo block from Clerkley helped put the Herd up for good. The Owls took its first timeout after a block assist from Clerkley and Brown that gave Marshall a 3-point lead, 11-8. After the Owls were able to close within two at 12-10, the Herd rolled out a 4-0 run, capped by a kill from Brown and Marshall led by six. The Herd finished the set outscoring Florida Atlantic 9-3 to take the first set, 25-13. Schank's second ace was the final point.

The second set looked like it was going to be all FAU as the Owls jumped out to a 7-0 lead. A kill from DeBell finally put Marshall on the board. After Florida Atlantic scored the next point to go back up by seven, 8-1, the Herd began its comeback. A 5-0 run highlighted by two kills from McElhaney brought the deficit down to two, 8-6. Marshall continued to fight and eventually tied the set at 9-9. There were five more ties and three lead changes as the two teams kept battling.

Marshall regained the lead at 23-22 on an Owls' attack error. A kill from Clerkley moved it to set-point. Florida Atlantic scored one more point before another error gave the Herd the 25-23 win, and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set was another close, back-and-forth battle with six ties and four lead changes. Marshall took the lead for good at 7-6 off a solo block from DeBell. The outside hitter followed up with back-to-back kills that led to a Florida Atlantic timeout. The teams traded points and the Owls trailed by three at 23-20 and again at 24-21. However, a blast from McElhaney was the final point as Marshall won 25-21 to finish the sweep.

DeBell with her seven kills in the frame hit at a .312 clip. Calcagno had four kills and hit .667 in the third. Camden tallied six of her nine digs in the frame as well, helping to keep Marshall alive. Lostumo put up 14 assists as the Herd hit .297 as a team in the third.

Marshall comes back to the Cam Henderson Center, Oct. 15-16, to face Old Dominion.

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---HerdZone.com---

Volleyball Caps Trip with Second Sweep of Florida Atlantic

Players Mentioned

Brynn Brown

Anna Calcagno

Meagan Camden

Essence Clerkley

Ciara DeBell

Zoie Holley

Sydney Lostumo

Macy McElhaney

Sarah Schank