Herd Volleyball Takes Down IU Indy in Four Sets

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Marshall	25	20	25	26	3
IU Indy	18	25	22	24	1

Marshall

IU Indy

Box Score (PDF) | Championship Fund

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Marshall University Volleyball Team (4-1) picked up a win over the Hampton Inn Invitational host IU Indy 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 26-24) on Friday in Indianapolis.

"Proud is an understatement. This was a gritty win, and this group continues to show just how much belief they have in each other and in what we're building," Herd Volleyball Head Coach Heather Stout said. "Our seniors continue to show up when we need them most. Cicca has been commanding the net like it's hers. Logan Henderson brings a physicality that she can unleash in the biggest moments. Kahea, in just three rotations, was nearly delivering a 30-piece. The connections and confidence within this group are something special."

Maddie Smith led the way with 16 kills on a .429 hitting percentage as Logan Henderson and Beatrice Ciccarelli joined her in double-figure kills at 14 and 12 and respectively. Marae Reilly registered a .571 hitting percentage with nine as all four also had double-figure points with Smith leading the team at 18.5.

Ciccarelli rejected a team-high attacks with Emma Sayre leading with 14 digs and Kehea Carvalho picking up 29 assists.

"Maya came in and completely changed the momentum of the match from the setter position. Her ability to step in, settle us down, and give our offense a spark was huge. That's what this team is about — being ready when your moment comes and making an impact with it," Stout said. "Our front line is a problem — there are just so many physical attackers you have to account for with Maddie Smith, Logan Henderson and both middles putting pressure on you. And then you have Emma Sayre and Emma Barnett grinding away in the backcourt, keeping us in system and doing the work that doesn't always show up in the box score."

The Herd trailed Jaguars 2-0 early in the first. However, after kills from Reilly and Smith with an IU Indy attacking error Marshall garnered a 3-2 lead. The two sides then traded leads until a Reilly kill gave MU a 16-15 advantage as they didn't trail the rest of the set. Marshall closed out the opening frame with a 9-2 run to take it 25-17.

After falling 25-20 in the second, the Herd found itself down 18-10 in the third. However, 13-4 run capped off by a Smith kill saw Marshall battle back to take the lead late in the frame. MU finished off the comeback with a pair of service aces by Barnett to take the set 25-22 and a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The fourth was a wild set. It featured the scoreboard being tied 14 times and seven lead changes. From the score being knotted 16-16, the two sides traded the next 16 points to see the score still tied 24-24. A Jaguar service error and a Ciccarelli kill clinched the set 26-24 and the match for MU.

"This team is fun to watch and even more fun to coach," Stout said. "The toughness, the belief, the connections — it's all starting to come together. Such a gritty win. We'll enjoy this one, then get back to work and look to finish the weekend with the same consistency and fight. Proud doesn't even begin to describe it."

UP NEXT
Marshall is set to conclude the Hampton Inn Invitational on Saturday against Youngstown State.

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Players Mentioned

Emma Barnett

Beatrice Ciccarelli

Logan Henderson

Marae Reilly

Emma Sayre

Maddie Smith

Team Stats

Smith Maddie

Henderson Logan

Ciccarelli Beatrice

Reilly Marae

Marshall University Athletics