University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Marshall
Volleyball Team Posts Upset Win Over Marshall 3-2
10/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 15, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- - Junior Amanda Huntoon recorded an unconventional double-double, recording 18 kills and 10 blocks in leading Southern Miss to a 3-2 (29-31, 30-23, 23-30, 30-28, 15-8) upset win over Marshall Sunday in the Payne Center.
Southern Miss improved to 12-10 overall and 5-3 in league play while Marshall dropped to 14-9 and 6-3.
"That was a very big match for us," Head Coach Ricci Luyties said. "They were the best team in the conference last year and were picked to win this year. We are happy to win that match because it keeps us in the top half of the standings right now. It's a good win for us to build on."
Three other Golden Eagles posted double-double digit kills included Angela Hlavaty with 12, Mari Ruddick with 11 and Nicole Rock with 10. Amanda Blunck had 14 digs and Maia Ivanova added 13 digs.
Marshall's Kelly-Anne Billingy led all players with a match-high 35 kills, Uche Ndubisi had 14 kills and Stephanie Cahill added 13 kills. Cahill also had a team-high 15 digs followed by Billingy with 11, Kristin Marcum and Maggie Arias had 10 digs apiece.
Southern Miss popped out to an early 7-3 lead. Marshall gradually clawed its way back into the game behind Billingy, who had 10 kills in the game. The Eagles led 19-16 when Marshall put together a 6-1 run, taking its first lead of the game, 22-20. After that, the game remained close and included five ties. Marshall finished the game with a kill by Chelsea Lazar and Billingy for the 31-29 win.
Southern Miss jumped out early 7-2 in game to only to see Marshall battling back to tie the game 8-8. Southern Miss then out scored Marshall 4-1 for a 12-9 lead. From there, both teams battled back and forth until Southern Miss scored three unanswered points for a 24-21 lead. Southern Miss ended the game with a 6-1 run for a 30-23 win.
Game three featured 11 ties and two lead changes. Marshall out scored Southern Miss 12-5 down the stretch to taking game three, 30-23, and a 2-1 lead in the match. Billingy put down 11 kills and hit .562.
Southern Miss opened game four with an 11-2 run. Following a Marshall timeout, the Thundering Herd slowly began chipping away at the Southern Miss lead. The Eagles led 18-8, before Marshall scored six straight points, cutting the lead to 18-14. Marshall continued to battle and eventually tied the game, 27-27, before Southern Miss closed out the game on a 3-1 run. Huntoon put down the last two of her six kills to end game four, 30-28.
Southern Miss built a 10-4 lead in game five, and then held on for the 15-8 win. Five different players recorded at least one kill. The Eagles finished game five with a .412 attack percentage while Marshall hit .053.
The Golden Eagles finished the match with a .269 attack percentage and 15.0 team blocks. Seven different players recorded at least one block.
Southern Miss continues its home stand, hosting non-conference opponent Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday. Match time is set for 7 p.m., in the Payne Center.
