Volleyball Preview
By: Connor Brown, Production Director, FM88 Sports
HUNTINGTON, W.Va – Marshall volleyball heads back on the road this week for an important Sun Belt Conference series against Appalachian State as the regular season approaches its final stretch.
The Thundering Herd enters the matchup at 14-9 overall and 7-5 in conference play, remaining in contention for a top-three finish in the Sun Belt standings. After dropping both matches against Georgia Southern, Marshall will have another opportunity to strengthen its position against a Mountaineers team that sits at 16-10 overall and 9-3 in conference play, tied for first with Georgia Southern.
Head coach Heather Stout said one of the biggest problems against Georgia Southern was Marshall’s inability to establish consistent first-ball quality, particularly with its serving.
“Both days we really didn’t do a great job of first ball quality in any capacity serving,” Stout said. “We were serving lollipops and too much at the libero, which was getting them in. You can’t do that with a team that is like three and four dimensional. They got attackers everywhere.”
Marshall struggled to establish its offense throughout portions of the series, allowing Georgia Southern to dictate the pace. The Herd showed its ability to fight back, including battling from a two-set deficit in the opening match to force a fifth set, but Stout wanted to see that level of execution much earlier.
Against Appalachian State, Marshall will face another team capable of creating problems offensively. Stout described the Mountaineers as a pin-dominant group, making the serving and defensive assignments especially important for the Herd.
Middle hitter Chelsea Gilmore is another player Marshall will have to account for. Appalachian State has also used different lineup combinations throughout the season, something Stout said makes it important for Marshall to remain consistent with its approach regardless of the personnel on the other side of the net.
“For them, going to have to serve them tough,” Stout said. “Very pin dominant group. Obviously, Chelsea Gilmore in the middle has been phenomenal doing things behind, but we’ve got to expect like, they fluctuate their lineup a lot. There’s a lot of different themes over there that are going on, a lot of different personnel.”
Marshall’s ability to get its own middle hitters involved will also play an important role in the matchup. Establishing that part of the offense can create more opportunities for the pins and prevent opposing defenses from focusing too heavily on the outside attackers.
However, Stout also wants her team to become more comfortable producing points when the offense is not operating in system. Marshall spent time addressing that area during practice, emphasizing the importance of finding ways to finish attacks even when the first contact does not create an ideal opportunity.
“If we can stay in system we’re gonna get to do some fun things,” Stout said. “And today honestly we worked a lot out of system. The reason why is because we got to score out of system as well too and I feel like that’s something that we’ve really kind of, you know, been off the gas a little bit with.”
Despite the challenges against Georgia Southern, Marshall has continued to receive production from two of its leaders. Maddie Smith and Emma Barnett each recorded double-doubles in both matches against the Eagles.
Stout credited the two for the work they put in throughout the week, pointing to their preparation, extra repetitions and ability to contribute in all six rotations. Their leadership will remain important as Marshall enters another difficult conference matchup.
The Herd also has a different outlook entering the final stretch of the season compared to a year ago.
Last season, Marshall was fighting to earn a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. This year, the Herd has already secured its place and has an opportunity to determine where it finishes among the conference’s top teams.
Stout said she wants her players to recognize what they have accomplished while taking some of the pressure off themselves heading into the final matches.
“Take the pressure off,” Stout said. “You know, last year we were fighting for our life to get in Foley. We’re in Foley, like, we’re either going to be second or we’re going to be third and like we get to decide that fate. So how great for us right now?”
With the postseason approaching, Marshall will look to carry the lessons from its Georgia Southern series into another road test. For Stout, the focus remains on taking the matches one at a time rather than becoming too concerned with the overall standings.
The Herd will need to establish its serving and passing game, find consistent production from its middles and become more efficient when forced out of system.
Marshall opens the series against Appalachian State on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. The two teams will meet again Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m. Both matches will take place in Boone, North Carolina, as the Herd looks to improve its position in the Sun Belt standings before the conference tournament.