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Marshall Volleyball Gets 3-1 Win Over UNC-Greensboro
9/1/2023 10:30:00 PM | Volleyball
Strong start, big energy lifts Thundering Herd to Marshall Invitational victory
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The second day of the Marshall Invitational proved successful for Marshall's Volleyball team.
Marshall started strong in all aspects and never looked back en route to a four-set victory over UNC-Greensboro at the Cam Henderson Center on Friday evening.
"We had a long conversation about what our brand of volleyball is and we didn't showcase it last night," Marshall volleyball coach Ari Aganus said. "That's okay. That's why you have preseason. We had to figure it out and learn. We just kept our head. Even the set we lost, we played hard. They bought in to everything we were telling, which is great."
Lydia Montague finished the match with 12 kills and zero attack errors while adding seven blocks.
Brynn Brown narrowly missed the volleyball triple-double with 10 kills, 27 assists and nine digs in a complete performance.
"She's fun," Aganus said. "She has a good time, works really hard, runs a great offense and then to put the ball away (like that), it's so rare. She's dynamic and she's a phenomenal volleyball player."
As a team, Marshall (3-2) hit .328 for the match while limiting UNC-Greensboro to just a .149 hitting percentage.
In addition to Montague and Brown, Marshall's Jazminn Parrish also reached double-figures in kills with 11. The Herd also recorded 12 service aces in the win.
The resolve of Marshall's team was tested after UNC-Greensboro rallied for a third-set win to avoid a sweep, but the Herd answered emphatically, winning eight of the first 11 points in the fourth set en route to a clinching 25-20 win.
"The biggest thing we've taken away thus far is that they heard and understood all the things they didn't do last night, so it's not to say that game defines us," Aganus said. "It's, 'Hey, we didn't do those things' and 'Okay, great. Challenge accepted."
The tone for the match was set in the opening points as Marshall jumped out to a 15-2 lead in the first set behind the combined play of Montague and Kylee Stokes.
That momentum carried the Thundering Herd to a dominant 25-9 first set win in which Marshall hit at a .636 percentage with 14 kills and zero attack errors.
"Lydia is an unbelievable volleyball player and sometimes, she just needs reminded of that," Aganus said. "She popped off tonight. She was focused and she was ready."
Marshall returns to the floor early on Saturday for its final two matches of the Marshall Invitational, taking on Akron at 11 a.m. and Coppin State at 1 p.m.
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