Volleyball Set to Host FIU for Senior Weekend

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall volleyball team is back in action for the regular season finale as the FIU Panthers visit the Cam Henderson Center for Senior Weekend. First serve on Friday is set for 6 p.m., and 12 p.m. on Saturday.

The Thundering Herd enters the match at 8-15 overall and 4-6 in Conference USA play. The Panthers come to town at 8-11 overall and 5-5 in league action. Marshall needs to win both matches to continue its season at the C-USA Tournament set for Nov. 19-21, hosted by Old Dominion.

Match Details
Marshall Match Notes (PDF)
Live Stats: Herdzone.com
Live Stream: FRIDAY STREAM | SATURDAY STREAM Both will be streamed on ESPN+ with Jake Griffith
Marshall Radio: 88.1 WMUL-FM and online www.marshall.edu/wmul.
Series History: 13 all-time meetings – Marshall leads 10-3
Last Meeting: Feb. 21-22, 2021 in Miami – Marshall took both matches with sweeps

It will be Senior Weekend for Marshall's Class of 2021 who will be honored before the match on Saturday. This year's senior class consists of setter Sydney Lostumo, middle blocker Zoie Holley, libero Sarah Schank, middle blocker Destiny Leon and outside hitter Ciara DeBell. These five ladies have made a major impact on the program and leave a lasting legacy.

Marshall has had a little break since it was last on the court at Charlotte on Oct. 22-23. The Herd fell in both contests to the 49ers. Marshall fought hard despite the results, forcing the first meeting to five sets, and then keeping things close even in getting swept.

Highlight of the trip to Charlotte was Ciara DeBell joining exclusive company in the 1,000 Kills/1,000 Digs Club. DeBell, who already had over 1,400 kills in her collegiate career, tallied her 1,000th dig in the second set of the Saturday match. She now has 1,457 kills and 1,002 digs and is one of just 35 active players across the NCAA who have achieved those lofty career numbers.

DeBell leads the team offensively with 311 kills and an average of 3.27 per set. She is also second on the team in digs with 270. Coming into her final weekend at home, DeBell is second all-time at Marshall in career kills per set (3.85) and total attacks (4,041) trailing only four-time All-American Kelly-Anne Billingy (2004-07). She is also third all-time in kills with 1,371.

Senior Macy McElhaney is second on the team in kills with 171. Three other players have totaled over 100 kills this season in Leon (142), junior Lydia Montague (137) and sophomore Anna Calcagno (113).

Lostumo leads the Herd in assists with a career-high 817, and an average of 8.60 per set. She also leads the team with 29 aces. The Gilbert, Ariz., native is second on the team with 10 double-doubles to DeBell's 11 this year. Lostumo is the third member of the squad with over 200 digs (213). The graduate student is tied for third all-time at Marshall in aces per set (0.37), and is eighth all-time in assists (1,862) and assists per set (7.76).

Schank leads the team with 432 digs and 4.55 per set which is currently the fifth-best per set average in a single season in team history. The Naperville, Ill., native is 11th all-time with 1,134 career digs and sixth in digs per set (3.40).

With another great season defensively, Leon has set herself up to become the first player in program history to record 1.00 or more blocks per set in a season three times. In the spring, Leon became the fourth player at Marshall to accomplish the feat twice with 1.30 in 2019 and 1.25 in the shortened spring. This fall, Leon is averaging 1.20 blocks per set and has 90 total.

Montague is second on the squad with 83 total blocks. McElhaney has 57 and junior Essence Clerkley is next with 53. Leon, Montague (1.06) and Holley (1.15) are all averaging over 1.00 block per set. Holley has been very effective in her time on the court with 15 total blocks including four in three different matches this season.

The Opponent
After a slow start in conference, the Panthers have won five-straight league contests and put itself into a great position to advance to the tournament. FIU is coming off two wins over Charlotte on Oct. 29-30. The Panthers swept Charlotte on Friday and then won in five sets on Saturday.

Freshman Giada Bianchi was named C-USA Freshman of the Week for the second-consecutive week after a dominant performance versus Charlotte. Bianchi totaled 36 kills, 33 digs, six aces and five blocks in the two wins. The freshman leads the team in kills with 237, 3.76 per set, and 32 aces. She is also second in digs with 190 and fourth in blocks with 39.

FIU has only one other player with over 100 kills in Fiorella Murillo with 180.

The Panthers have used a trio at setter this season. Camila De La Rosa leads the way with 351 assists. Ella Erteltova has 147 assists and Autumn Raulerson has 132. All three have had matches this season tallying 30 or more helpers.

Valeria Santos leads the team in digs with 297. Santos has recorded double-digits in 16-of-19 matches and 20 or more three times.

As a team, FIU is averaging 2.57 blocks per set with Myrthe Maring and Jade Sadeiko both recording 1.16 per set. Maring leads in total blocks with 71. Sadeiko has 43 blocks in 37 sets played but has been on a tear during the five-match win streak with 27. The transfer from Oregon recorded a career-high 10 in the five-set win over Old Dominion.

FIU needs just one win to guarantee a spot in the conference tournament.

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Players Mentioned

Anna Calcagno

Essence Clerkley

Ciara DeBell

Zoie Holley

Destiny Leon

Sydney Lostumo

Macy McElhaney

Lydia Montague

Sarah Schank

Marshall University Athletics