Volleyball Begins 2021 Season at Home with the Marshall Invitational

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall volleyball team gets the 2021 season rolling Friday and Saturday in the Cam Henderson Center with three matches in two days during the Marshall Invitational. The Thundering Herd will take on Alabama, Austin Peay and Miami (OH). The Herd will play one match on Friday and two on Saturday.

Each team will play a total of three matches. Live stats will be provided for all six contests. Marshall's matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with Jake Griffith on the call, as well as broadcast on 88.1 WMUL-FM and online at www.marshall.edu/wmul.

Tournament Details
Friday August 27th (home team is listed first)
11:00 a.m. – Alabama vs. Austin Peay LIVE STATS
3:00 p.m. – Austin Peay vs. Miami (OH) LIVE STATS
6:00 p.m. – Marshall vs. Alabama LIVE STATS | ESPN+
Saturday August 28th
10:00 a.m. – Miami (OH) vs. Alabama LIVE STATS
12:30 p.m. – Marshall vs. Austin Peay LIVE STATS | ESPN+
6:00 p.m. – Marshall vs. Miami (OH) LIVE STATS | ESPN+
Series History:
vs. Alabama – Alabama leads 2-0, last meeting Sept. 7, 2018 in Tuscaloosa (3-1 Alabama win)
vs. Austin Peay – Austin Peay leads 2-1, last meeting Aug. 25, 2017 in Clarksville, Tenn. (3-1 AP win)
vs. Miami (OH) – Miami leads 14-6, last meeting Aug. 25, 2012 in Huntington (3-2 Herd win)

Head coach Ari Aganus returns a very experienced lineup with a great mix of newcomers. Seven newcomers – two junior college transfers and five freshmen – join 12 returners from last year's squad. Every player who recorded a kill or a block for Marshall in 2020-21 is back.

Leading the way are three graduates Ciara Debell, Destiny Leon and Sydney Lostumo who were all able to use the COVID season and come back for another run with the Green & White. Marshall also returns the 2020-21 Conference USA Libero of the Year in Sarah Schank.

Debell led the Herd with 201 kills during the abbreviated season and is 10th all-time in program history with 1,060 kills in her Marshall career (1,146 in collegiate career). The three-time All-C-USA selection is also second all-time in career kills per set with 4.06. She trails only Marshall Hall of Famer Kelly-Anne Billingy. Leon became just the fourth player in Herd history to average 1.00 or more blocks per set in two seasons and the first to do it back-to-back. Leon was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year.

Lostumo has had a brief career with Marshall, coming to Huntington in 2019, however she already ranks in the top 10 all-time in career service aces per set (tied for second with 0.41) and assists per set (ninth with 7.21). Schank played the libero position for the first time in her collegiate career this past season after spending her first two years as an outside hitter, and proceeded to lead the league in digs per set with 4.81. Her average ranked third all-time at Marshall in a single season. The senior also set the single-match record with 40 digs in the 2020-21 season-opener, breaking a 22-year-old record.

Following the Marshall Invitational, the Herd will hit the road for three more early season tournaments at Wright State (Sept. 3-4), Southeast Missouri State (Sept. 10-11) and Morehead State (Sept. 16-18). The Herd will then begin Conference USA action through the remainder of the regular season.

The Opponents
Alabama
The Crimson Tide finished the 2020-21 season with a 6-12 record. The squad returns Abby Majama who led the team with 243 kills, an average of 3.68 per set. Three other players all recorded over 100 kills last year and are back as well in Kendyl Reaugh (159), Kennedy Muckelroy (134) and Alyiah Wells (127). Emily Janek was second last season in assists with 232 and is back for 2021. As a team Alabama hit .180 last year.

Austin Peay
The Governors went 9-5 in 2020-21 and look to replace its leader in kills, Chloe Stitt who tallied 174 with an average of 3.55 per set. Brooke Moore, who finished second last season, is back and the graduate recorded 147 kills and an average of 3.00 per set. Moore also finished second in digs with 168 and had 13 blocks. Karli Graham led Austin Peay with 41 total blocks, 0.95 per set, and is back for her senior year. The Governors used a two-setter rotation in 2020-21 with Kelsey Mead (291 assists) and Caroline Waite (230) and both are back.

Miami (OH)
An old foe for the Herd from the Mid-American Conference days, the Redhawks were 13-9 last season and were picked to finish third in the MAC East Division this year. Head coach Carolyn Condit returns for her 38th season leading the Redhawks with 762 career wins and has led her team to the NCAA Tournament 10 times. Miami returns nine players from last season but will need to fill the void left by a few leaders. Gone are the Redhawks leaders in assists (Morgan Seaman – 828), kills (Sarah Wojick – 247), digs (Abigail Huser – 418) and second in kills (Avarie Powell – 224). Sophie Riemersma is the top returner in kills with 203.

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 Begins 2021 Season at Home with the Marshall Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Ciara DeBell

Destiny Leon

Sydney Lostumo

Sarah Schank

Marshall University Athletics