Oct. 5, 2002

Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W.Va-Despite dominating the first game, Miami University's volleyball team (5-11; 0-4 Mid-American Conference) dropped the next three games to Marshall University (12-5; 3-1 MAC), falling to the Thundering Herd, 30-22, 31-33, 25-30, 22-30.

In the first game, the two teams went back and forth through the early stages with Miami holding a slight 5-4 edge. Sparked by a pair of kills and a service ace by senior outside hitter Kelly McCullough (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and two block assists from junior middle hitter Susan Poll (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Kentwood), the RedHawks manufactured a nine-point run to break out to a 10-point advantage, 14-4. The Thundering Herd closed the gap to eight, 9-17, but the RedHawks kept pounding away to produce their largest advantage of the match, 14 points, 25-11, which was aided by a kill and a powerful block from McCullough and capped with a block by Poll and sophomore outside hitter Angie Zent (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrup). Marshall was able to cut the lead to seven, 29-22, but a kill by senior middle hitter Jennifer Eaton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) iced the first game for the RedHawks, 30-22.

The second game was much closer with Miami posting an early 6-2 edge, but no team held more than a three-point advantage throughout the rest of the contest. A kill by Eagan gave the RedHawks a 27-25 lead late in the stanza, but the Thundering Herd rattled off four straight points to post the 29-27 lead. With match point on the line, Miami benefited from two Herd miscues and the score was knotted 29-29. The two teams traded points until Marshall put together a kill and a block to take the second game 33-31.

In the third game, Marshall was able to pull out to an eight-point lead and led by that margin with game point on the line, 29-21. The RedHawks did not back down and pulled to within four, 25-29, off a pair of kills by McCullough and a devastating block from sophomore outside hitter Tara Buroker (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton). However, the lead proved to be too much to overcome as the Herd ended the game on a kill, 30-25.

Marshall took a 3-0 lead to start the fourth game, but a kill from McCullough, a block by the Poll/McCullough duo and consecutive service aces by freshman middle hitter Lindsey Sullenberger (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua) handed the RedHawks a 4-3 edge. Trailing, 4-6, a Poll kill and McCullough service ace knotted the game, 6-6, but that would be as close as the RedHawks would get as Marshall went on to take the game and the match, 30-22.

For the RedHawks, Buroker tallied 14 kills, 14 digs, four blocks, two service aces and a .324 hitting percentage. Poll produced a career-high 10 blocks (2 solo; 8 assist), while Eagan added 10 kills and 18 digs. McCullough recorded 12 kills, three service aces and four blocks.

Miami returns home to host Buffalo on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. and Kent State on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m.