Marshall University Athletics
Saturday, August 28
Huntington, W.Va.
12:30 PM
Marshall University
3
vs
1
Austin Peay State University
Volleyball Battles for Two Wins on Final Day of Marshall Invitational
8/28/2021 10:16:00 PM | Volleyball
Herd defeats Austin Peay in four sets and Miami (OH) in five sets
Box Scores: Austin Peay | Miami (OH)
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall volleyball team bounced back from a loss Friday night with two wins on Saturday on the final day of the Marshall Invitational. The Thundering Herd defeated the Austin Peay Governors in four sets (25-19, 30-28, 20-25, 25-16) and then the Miami Redhawks in five (25-22, 27-29, 23-25. 25-14, 15-11).
Marshall improves to 2-1.
"The resilience we showed was a huge growing point for our program," Herd head coach Ari Aganus said. "We mixed up a lot of different lineups and were so excited about the versatility of this group. Destiny (Leon) and Sarah (Schank) stepped up this weekend and led our team to two really strong wins today. I'm so proud of our entire unit, we've stayed together and I'm so excited to get back in the gym Monday and gear up for next weekend."
Game One: Marshall 3, Austin Peay 1
The Herd began the day looking to bounce back from the four-set loss Friday night to Alabama. Marshall immediately took the first two sets against Austin Peay before the Governors took set three, and then dominated in the fourth set for its first win of the season. The Herd was a force at the net with 13 total team blocks.
Graduate Ciara Debell registered her second double-double in as many matches with 15 kills and 13 digs. Her 15 kills led the team. Graduate Destiny Leon tied her career-high with 12 kills and added five total blocks, increasing her streak to 44-straight matches with at least one block. Junior Megan Taylor established a career-high with 10 kills in the match and also had three blocks. Senior Macy McElhaney and junior Lydia Montague had five kills each. Montague led the team with six total blocks. Junior Essence Clerkley made her Herd debut and had three kills and five blocks.
Marshall used a two-setter rotation with graduate Sydney Lostumo and freshman Brynn Brown. Lostumo led with 30 assists and was lethal on the serve with five aces. She added nine digs as well as two kills on two attacks. Brown in her collegiate debut had 14 assists and four digs. Junior Meagan Camden earned the start and recorded six digs, was a perfect 8-for-8 on receptions and had one service ace.
Senior libero Sarah Schank had 20 digs and was a perfect 25-for-25 on receptions. Schank added four assists.
Marshall came out on fire in the first set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before the Governors finally got on the scoreboard. Lostumo got it all rolling with two aces for the first two points. The Herd led from beginning to end as Austin Peay only closed the deficit to two points at 8-6. Marshall led by as much as eight at 20-12. The Governors crept back in with a 4-0 run and trailed 23-19. Coach Aganus called a timeout, and then the Herd went back out after the break to score the last two points, taking advantage of two Austin Peay errors.
The second set was a battle back-and-forth featuring 11 ties and three lead changes. Debell came through with several clutch points late in the match to help give Marshall a chance to take the 2-0 lead. The Ocala, Fla., native had back-to-back kills to move it to set-point at 24-23. Austin Peay tied it up at 24-24. Debell then had another kill to move back up one, before the Governors tied the match again. Then Debell came through with another slam to put the Herd up 27-26. The teams went back-and-forth until finally two Austin Peay errors led to Marshall taking the set 30-28. Debell tallied seven kills in the second set.
The Herd jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the third set, however the Governors did not go away quietly. Austin Peay fought back and took the lead at 9-8. The set remained close with the Governors staying out front. Marshall trailed 24-19 before a kill from Lostumo cut the deficit to four and gave the Herd the serve. Austin Peay closed the set on the very next point, 25-20, and forced the match to a fourth set.
In the fourth and final frame, there was just one tie and one lead change as Marshall took control. The Governors scored first and then the Herd tied it at 1-1 on a kill from Montague. The set remained close with Marshall in the lead until the Herd rolled out a 7-0 run to take an 8-point lead at 17-9. The run was sparked by three Marshall blocks. Austin Peay showed its grit by still fighting and attempting to come back. However, the Herd closed it out and finished the match on a big block from Clerkley and Montague for the final point and the 3-1 win.
Game Two: Marshall 3, Miami (OH) 2
The Herd showed its grit and toughness in fighting back against the Redhawks after going down 2-1. Marshall had been a force at the net all weekend. The Herd had 12 blocks against Alabama, then 13 versus Austin Peay and finally 17 in the win over Miami. Marshall is averaging an amazing 3.23 blocks per set as a squad.
Destiny Leon led the way at the net with nine total blocks. She finished the weekend with 23 total blocks for an average of 1.77 per set. Macy McElhaney and Lydia Montague had seven blocks each to help make things difficult at the net for the Redhawks. Essence Clerkley recorded three, Megan Taylor had two and Ciara Debell added one.
Four players for Marshall recorded double-digit kills. Debell led with 18 and added 15 digs for her third-straight double-double. She also tallied her 700th career dig in a Herd uniform. Montague fired off 16 kills and hit at a .423 clip. Leon had 12 kills, hit .478, and McElhaney had 10. Others adding kills were Taylor with three, sophomore Anna Calcagno and Clerkley with two each, with Sydney Lostumo and Sarah Schank recording one each.
Lostumo tallied her second double-double of the season with 42 assists and 12 digs. It was her seventh career match with 40 or more assists. Lostumo added two aces giving her seven total for the day. Brynn Brown had 12 assists and seven digs. Meagan Camden had eight digs, one ace and one assist.
Schank again piled up the digs with 27 more. She has opened the season with 20 or more in each contest and currently has 72 with an average of 5.54 per set. Schank is up to 774 in her Marshall career.
The teams showed right from the first set that it was going to be a long battle for the victory through the night. The first set featured seven ties and four lead changes. Marshall held the largest lead of just four points at four times late in the set. The Herd was up four at 21-17 when Miami came back with a 3-0 run to close the gap to one. Marshall then ran off a 3-0 run with a kill from Leon, a block assist by Montague and McElhaney and then a kill from Debell to go back up by four 24-20. The Redhawks scored two points to hold off set-point just a little longer. McElhaney tallied the kill for the 25th point as Marshall took a 1-0 lead.
In the second set, the Herd jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. However, Miami showed its fight coming back as the second frame featured nine ties and five lead changes starting when the Redhawks tying things up at 12-12. The set ended with points being traded back-and-forth before Miami finally grabbed the last two points to end it at 29-27, and tie the match at 1-1.
In the third set, after trading some early points, Marshall used a 4-0 run sparked by three-straight kills from Montague to take a 9-5 lead. The Redhawks again fought back and retook the lead at 12-11 and held it through the rest of the set. Marshall pulled within one at 24-23 off a kill from Leon, however Miami scored the last point to go up 2-1 in the match.
The fourth set had only one tie and one lead change very early as the Herd rebounded to dominate. Marshall forced a total of 11 Miami errors, as well as smashing 12 kills and four blocks for the 25-14 win. McElhaney had four kills in the frame while Schank had 10 digs. The Herd forced the fifth and decisive set.
The teams fought back-and-forth yet again in the fifth set with seven ties and two lead changes. Marshall began with a 4-0 lead and then the Redhawks returned fire, tying the set at 5-5. Miami took the lead at 9-8, but two-straight kills from Montague gave the Herd back the lead at 10-9. The Redhawks tied the set once more at 11-11. Then Marshall looked to end the night. Leon got it started with a kill that forced a Miami timeout. A Redhawk error gave the Herd a 13-11 lead and another Miami timeout. After the final break in the action, Debell drilled her 18th kill of the night to move it to match-point. Marshall ended the contest with a block assist from Leon and McElhaney.
Coach Aganus recorded her 30th career win with the victory over the Redhawks.
The Marshall Invitational All-Tournament Team
Miami – Sophie Riemersma
Austin Peay – Brooke Moore
Austin Peay – Caroline Waite
Marshall – Sarah Schank
Marshall – Destiny Leon
Alabama – Emily Janek
Alabama – Dru Kuck – MVP
Tournament winner - Alabama
The Herd returns to the court Friday and Saturday, Sept. 3-4 at the Wright State Invitational. Marshall plays DePaul on Friday at 4 p.m., then Wright State on Saturday at 12 p.m. and finally against Ball State at 5 p.m.
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!
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall volleyball team bounced back from a loss Friday night with two wins on Saturday on the final day of the Marshall Invitational. The Thundering Herd defeated the Austin Peay Governors in four sets (25-19, 30-28, 20-25, 25-16) and then the Miami Redhawks in five (25-22, 27-29, 23-25. 25-14, 15-11).
Marshall improves to 2-1.
"The resilience we showed was a huge growing point for our program," Herd head coach Ari Aganus said. "We mixed up a lot of different lineups and were so excited about the versatility of this group. Destiny (Leon) and Sarah (Schank) stepped up this weekend and led our team to two really strong wins today. I'm so proud of our entire unit, we've stayed together and I'm so excited to get back in the gym Monday and gear up for next weekend."
Game One: Marshall 3, Austin Peay 1
The Herd began the day looking to bounce back from the four-set loss Friday night to Alabama. Marshall immediately took the first two sets against Austin Peay before the Governors took set three, and then dominated in the fourth set for its first win of the season. The Herd was a force at the net with 13 total team blocks.
Graduate Ciara Debell registered her second double-double in as many matches with 15 kills and 13 digs. Her 15 kills led the team. Graduate Destiny Leon tied her career-high with 12 kills and added five total blocks, increasing her streak to 44-straight matches with at least one block. Junior Megan Taylor established a career-high with 10 kills in the match and also had three blocks. Senior Macy McElhaney and junior Lydia Montague had five kills each. Montague led the team with six total blocks. Junior Essence Clerkley made her Herd debut and had three kills and five blocks.
Marshall used a two-setter rotation with graduate Sydney Lostumo and freshman Brynn Brown. Lostumo led with 30 assists and was lethal on the serve with five aces. She added nine digs as well as two kills on two attacks. Brown in her collegiate debut had 14 assists and four digs. Junior Meagan Camden earned the start and recorded six digs, was a perfect 8-for-8 on receptions and had one service ace.
Senior libero Sarah Schank had 20 digs and was a perfect 25-for-25 on receptions. Schank added four assists.
Marshall came out on fire in the first set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before the Governors finally got on the scoreboard. Lostumo got it all rolling with two aces for the first two points. The Herd led from beginning to end as Austin Peay only closed the deficit to two points at 8-6. Marshall led by as much as eight at 20-12. The Governors crept back in with a 4-0 run and trailed 23-19. Coach Aganus called a timeout, and then the Herd went back out after the break to score the last two points, taking advantage of two Austin Peay errors.
The second set was a battle back-and-forth featuring 11 ties and three lead changes. Debell came through with several clutch points late in the match to help give Marshall a chance to take the 2-0 lead. The Ocala, Fla., native had back-to-back kills to move it to set-point at 24-23. Austin Peay tied it up at 24-24. Debell then had another kill to move back up one, before the Governors tied the match again. Then Debell came through with another slam to put the Herd up 27-26. The teams went back-and-forth until finally two Austin Peay errors led to Marshall taking the set 30-28. Debell tallied seven kills in the second set.
The Herd jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the third set, however the Governors did not go away quietly. Austin Peay fought back and took the lead at 9-8. The set remained close with the Governors staying out front. Marshall trailed 24-19 before a kill from Lostumo cut the deficit to four and gave the Herd the serve. Austin Peay closed the set on the very next point, 25-20, and forced the match to a fourth set.
In the fourth and final frame, there was just one tie and one lead change as Marshall took control. The Governors scored first and then the Herd tied it at 1-1 on a kill from Montague. The set remained close with Marshall in the lead until the Herd rolled out a 7-0 run to take an 8-point lead at 17-9. The run was sparked by three Marshall blocks. Austin Peay showed its grit by still fighting and attempting to come back. However, the Herd closed it out and finished the match on a big block from Clerkley and Montague for the final point and the 3-1 win.
Game Two: Marshall 3, Miami (OH) 2
The Herd showed its grit and toughness in fighting back against the Redhawks after going down 2-1. Marshall had been a force at the net all weekend. The Herd had 12 blocks against Alabama, then 13 versus Austin Peay and finally 17 in the win over Miami. Marshall is averaging an amazing 3.23 blocks per set as a squad.
Destiny Leon led the way at the net with nine total blocks. She finished the weekend with 23 total blocks for an average of 1.77 per set. Macy McElhaney and Lydia Montague had seven blocks each to help make things difficult at the net for the Redhawks. Essence Clerkley recorded three, Megan Taylor had two and Ciara Debell added one.
Four players for Marshall recorded double-digit kills. Debell led with 18 and added 15 digs for her third-straight double-double. She also tallied her 700th career dig in a Herd uniform. Montague fired off 16 kills and hit at a .423 clip. Leon had 12 kills, hit .478, and McElhaney had 10. Others adding kills were Taylor with three, sophomore Anna Calcagno and Clerkley with two each, with Sydney Lostumo and Sarah Schank recording one each.
Lostumo tallied her second double-double of the season with 42 assists and 12 digs. It was her seventh career match with 40 or more assists. Lostumo added two aces giving her seven total for the day. Brynn Brown had 12 assists and seven digs. Meagan Camden had eight digs, one ace and one assist.
Schank again piled up the digs with 27 more. She has opened the season with 20 or more in each contest and currently has 72 with an average of 5.54 per set. Schank is up to 774 in her Marshall career.
The teams showed right from the first set that it was going to be a long battle for the victory through the night. The first set featured seven ties and four lead changes. Marshall held the largest lead of just four points at four times late in the set. The Herd was up four at 21-17 when Miami came back with a 3-0 run to close the gap to one. Marshall then ran off a 3-0 run with a kill from Leon, a block assist by Montague and McElhaney and then a kill from Debell to go back up by four 24-20. The Redhawks scored two points to hold off set-point just a little longer. McElhaney tallied the kill for the 25th point as Marshall took a 1-0 lead.
In the second set, the Herd jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. However, Miami showed its fight coming back as the second frame featured nine ties and five lead changes starting when the Redhawks tying things up at 12-12. The set ended with points being traded back-and-forth before Miami finally grabbed the last two points to end it at 29-27, and tie the match at 1-1.
In the third set, after trading some early points, Marshall used a 4-0 run sparked by three-straight kills from Montague to take a 9-5 lead. The Redhawks again fought back and retook the lead at 12-11 and held it through the rest of the set. Marshall pulled within one at 24-23 off a kill from Leon, however Miami scored the last point to go up 2-1 in the match.
The fourth set had only one tie and one lead change very early as the Herd rebounded to dominate. Marshall forced a total of 11 Miami errors, as well as smashing 12 kills and four blocks for the 25-14 win. McElhaney had four kills in the frame while Schank had 10 digs. The Herd forced the fifth and decisive set.
The teams fought back-and-forth yet again in the fifth set with seven ties and two lead changes. Marshall began with a 4-0 lead and then the Redhawks returned fire, tying the set at 5-5. Miami took the lead at 9-8, but two-straight kills from Montague gave the Herd back the lead at 10-9. The Redhawks tied the set once more at 11-11. Then Marshall looked to end the night. Leon got it started with a kill that forced a Miami timeout. A Redhawk error gave the Herd a 13-11 lead and another Miami timeout. After the final break in the action, Debell drilled her 18th kill of the night to move it to match-point. Marshall ended the contest with a block assist from Leon and McElhaney.
Coach Aganus recorded her 30th career win with the victory over the Redhawks.
The Marshall Invitational All-Tournament Team
Miami – Sophie Riemersma
Austin Peay – Brooke Moore
Austin Peay – Caroline Waite
Marshall – Sarah Schank
Marshall – Destiny Leon
Alabama – Emily Janek
Alabama – Dru Kuck – MVP
Tournament winner - Alabama
The Herd returns to the court Friday and Saturday, Sept. 3-4 at the Wright State Invitational. Marshall plays DePaul on Friday at 4 p.m., then Wright State on Saturday at 12 p.m. and finally against Ball State at 5 p.m.
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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