Nov. 16, 2007

Box Score

Final Stats (PDF)

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - After surviving a scare from No. 8 seed East Carolina, top seed and host Marshall advances to the semifinals of the 2007 C-USA Volleyball Championship Friday night. The Thundering Herd took the first two games, 30-19, 34-32, but ECU fought back to win game three, 30-19. Marshall ended the match with a 30-25 victory in game four. The four-day tournament is being hosted by Marshall University inside the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, W.Va.

Marshall got an all-around performance as four players notched double-doubles on the evening. Leading the way was seniors outside hitter and All-C-USA first team picks, Kelly-Anne Billingy and Stephanie Cahill. Billingy, C-USA Player of the Year, led the match with 23 kills and added 17 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. Cahill increased her team-leading double doubles to 19 as she recorded 22 kills and 11 digs. With 11 kills and 11 digs, sophomore Kristin Marcum produced her fourth double-double for the Thundering Herd.

"We started off well but got too comfortable early," Cahill said. "Game three was a big letdown and that's when I think we realized we have to play a lot better."

Quarterbacking the Herd victory was C-USA Freshman of the Year Elizabeth Fleming. Fleming dished out a match-high 65 assists and had 11 digs, marking her eighth double-double of the year.

"We had a relatively easy time in game one and I think we thought that would translate into an easy game two," said Marshall head coach Mitch Jacobs. But when you're playing East Carolina, it's never easy. We had to fight hard to win that second game and I thought it would be a wake-up call, but we got smashed in game three. We had a nice comeback in game four because Stephanie Cahill and Jalicia Ross were huge for us."

Senior outside hitter Kelley Wernert lived up to her All-C-USA first team honors as she led the Pirates with 16 kills and 11 digs for her 14th double-double of the season and 27th of her career. Sophomore Stephanie Turner also had a solid day at the office where she landed 13 kills, hit. 524 and had eight digs. Sophomore Peyton Thompson contributed 12 kills and Trish Monroe had a match-high 18 digs.

As a team, Marshall landed 73 kills, hit .257 and had 67 digs. The Pirates had 57 kills, hit. 225 and totaled 58 digs. ECU had 13 blocks to Marshall's nine.

East Carolina wrapped up its year at 15-17, while Marshall (23-8) moves to the semifinals to face Tulsa.