Volleyball sweeps, Marshall weeps
Outside hitter Lauren Malone spikes the ball back the Thundering Herd’s setter Bella Thompson.
Coastal Carolina University hosted the Marshall Thundering Herd for an exciting volleyball conference matchup on Oct. 28 and 29.
Entering Friday’s match, Coastal held a conference record of seven wins and three losses, while Marshall had only one win accompanied by nine losses. The first set of the evening was the most exciting of the night, with several lead changes resulting in a Marshall victory on the 26th point.
Marshall entered as the underdog and surprised the Chanticleers with an early goal. Coastal responded quickly with a swift 25-17 win in the second set.
Both squads went back and forth, and neither team completely gave way. The night pushed into the fifth and final set which saw the Chanticleers win with a comfortable five-point lead.
At the end of five sets, super senior outside hitter Ella Saada led the team with an impressive 22 kills and two aces. Senior setter Brigitta Petrenko led the team in assists, tallying 39 on the night.
As the Chanticleers moved into Saturday, they aimed for a much more dominant performance after only winning by a close margin against the lower-ranked Marshall squad.
Coastal came out strong, dominating the first set while holding all the momentum against the Herd. The Chanticleers swiftly took the first set, 25-17. CCU kept the pressure on Marshall as they kept complete control in the second set, earning a double-digit lead and putting the Herd away with a final of 25-18. Coastal went on to win the third set and swept the Herd out of the HTC Center.
Through both games, Saada was a bright spot for Coastal and was instrumental in their two-day win streak against the Herd.
“It feels good to help the team, but we are a team, they help me to perform like this, so it feels good,” Saada said. “As we move forward in the season, it gets mentally tough. We try to go after every team, we scout, we work hard every practice.”
The Chanticleers have seen great success as of late, pushing to a now 9-3 record in the conference. The volleyball team will next go on the road to Mobile, Alabama to take on the University of South Alabama on Nov. 4 and 5.
