Shane Darling
9-15-2024
It has been 322 days since the Cam Henderson Arena hosted a regular-season volleyball game, but that will change at 6 p.m. on Sept. 17, when the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels drive into town for a non-conference matchup against the Thundering Herd.
The Colonels come in with an impressive 6-3 record, and they are blazing hot as they have won 5 out of their last 6 contests. The Herd are posting an identical 6-3 record and are unfortunately coming off a two-game slide. However, they started the season 5-1 and went on a 4-game winning streak before those two losses, so they will fight to get back on track and not let those defeats deter them.
Last season, the Marshall Thundering Herd Volleyball Team posted a 13-19 record, and the squad is looking to improve that this year. They are posting a fantastic starting record to do that, and as they inch closer to Sun Belt Conference play, they are going to want to gain as much momentum as possible and keep padding that win column.
The Thundering Herd have been led by senior setter Brynn Brown, who is a true jack-of-all-trades. In the nine games this season, Brown has accumulated three triple-doubles, three double-doubles, and leads the Herd with 91 kills and 192 assists.
A few other key players to watch for Marshall include sophomore libero Payton Neal, who leads both teams in total digs with 151. Freshman outside hitter Audrey Geer, who leads the Herd with 10 service aces, and is also only 10 kills behind Brown with 81. Lastly, junior middle blocker Beatrice Ciccarelli has been crucial for the Marshall defense, as she has 31 blocks- 12 more than the next best on the Marshall squad.
The Herd will have to focus on Eastern Kentucky’s senior outside hitter Sarah Mitchell, as she has a staggering 117 kills, a very impressive number this early in the season. As well as keeping the ball away from the Colonels’ senior middle blocker Paige Wagers, who has an outstanding 52 blocks.
Tune-in to WMUL-FM for the complete game coverage, with pre-game beginning at 5:45 p.m. and the game to follow at 6:00 p.m. Ben Anderson will serve as play-by-play commentator and Ben Westfall will be color commentator.