MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After three weeks on the road, the West Virginia University volleyball team will open its home slate on Tuesday when the team welcomes in-state foe Marshall in a 6 p.m. match at the WVU Coliseum.
Tickets for the match are just $1 and can be purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com. WVU students gain free admission with a valid student I.D., while all fans in attendance will receive a free 2015 WVU Volleyball schedule poster.
“I think we’re all excited to play in front of the home crowd after playing eight matches on the road,” said coach Reed Sunahara, who will make his WVU Coliseum debut. “To host a rival like Marshall makes it even more exciting. They’re a solid team, and we’re looking forward to a good battle. I hope to carry over some of the things we did well last week and to improve upon some other of areas of our game.”
The Mountaineers (2-6, 0-0) and the Thundering Herd (8-2, 0-0) have a long history, dating back to 1974 and the inception of the WVU volleyball program. Marshall took the first three meetings between the two, but West Virginia won 20 in a row from 1978 to 1993 and now holds a 28-19 series lead. Marshall swept WVU, 3-0, in the last meeting between the two at the Henderson Center on October 1, 2014. Nikki Attea had 12 kills for the Mountaineers, while Ally Kiekover had 16 for the Thundering Herd, who hit .327 as a team. Marshall last played in Morgantown on October 29, 2013, taking a 3-1 from the Mountaineers. WVU is 15-6 all-time vs. the Herd at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers’ last win against the Herd came on September 14, 2014, when they earned a 3-0 sweep.
Marshall enters the match up with an 8-2 record after a 3-2 loss to Davidson at High Point. The defeat snapped a four-match win streak for Marshall, whose only other loss this season came by a score of 3-1 against New Hampshire on September 4 in Fairfield, Conn. Both Taylor Pelton (3.45 k/s) and Cassie Weaver (3.42 k/s) average more than three kills per set to lead the offense, while Allie Kellerman (5.19 d/s) and Jillian Shemanski (0.71 b/s) lead the defense.
Last weekend West Virginia traveled to Hanover, New Hampshire, to compete in the Dartmouth Tournament. The Mountaineers dropped a 3-1 tilt to the host Big Green on Friday evening before falling to UConn, 3-0, on Saturday.
Morgan Montgomery recorded her third double-double of the season - and her career - in the team’s loss to Dartmouth on Friday. The sophomore outside hitter registered 18 kills to go with 11 digs against the Big Green. She also had double-doubles against Charlotte and IUPUI, while teammate Brittany Sample had one in the team’s season opener against Oakland. Montgomery, who previously set career highs in kills at both the Michigan and IUPUI tournaments, was recognized for her efforts with a spot on the Dartmouth Tournament All-Tournament Team. She led the team in the tournament with 4.29 kills per set.
