CONWAY, S.C. – Jalyn Stout and
Emily Fowler led the Coastal Carolina volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-21) sweep over the Marshall Thundering Herd at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., on Friday evening in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams. With the win, the Chanticleers improved to 5-7 on the season and 1-0 in league play, while the Herd fell to 9-5 overall and 0-1 in SBC action with the loss.
Coastal was led by Stout and Fowler with nine kills each, while
Emma Van Elslande matched her career-high with eight put-downs.
Agata Lesiak and
Valentina Varani had seven kills each.
Cagla Bengi had 18 assists with Stout adding 17 helpers.
Defensively, CCU totaled three blocks as Varani totaled two stops with
Dilara Unal, Lesiak, and Van Elslande stopping one kill attempt each at the net. Stout tallied 17 digs to record her third double-double with
Sydney Lewis and Fowler adding seven digs each.
Marshall was led by Audrey Geer, who had 13 kills, while Olivia Fogo and Sarah Wadsworth tallied eight and six spikes, respectively. Brynn Brown finished with a match-high 25 assists.
The Thundering Herd stopped three kill attempts with Fogo making three stops as Beatrice Ciccarelli tallied two blocks, while Peyton Neal (12) had double-digit digs.
In the first set, the Chanticleers raced to a 5-1 lead, highlighted by kills by the trio of Unal, Lesiak, and Fowler, before Marshall answered with a 4-1 spurt to cut the lead to 6-5. Coastal responded with an 8-3 surge to increase the lead to 14-8, sparked by a Fowler spike and capped by Van Elslande's kill.
After two quick points by the visitors in green, CCU opened a 23-14 advantage with a 9-3 burst that included a pair of put-downs by Stout. Coastal Carolina outscored the Herd 4-3 over the next seven rallies to stake a 1-0 match lead with the 25-16 opening set win.
The two teams traded the first 17 points of set two with the Chants holding a 9-8 lead before an 11-2 run by CCU increased the lead to 20-10, ignited by a Fowler kill and topped off a Van Elslande spike. Coastal and Marshall traded the next four rallies for a 22-12 CCU advantage before the Herd narrowed the deficit to 23-19 with a 7-1 burst. Coastal sandwiched a pair of Marshall points with kills by Lesiak and
Lauren Malone to take a 2-0 match lead with the 25-21 second-set victory.
In the final set, the Chanticleers opened a 9-3 lead, highlighted by a pair of kills by Varani. CCU maintained a five-point margin at 17-12 as the two teams traded the next 17 points After a Marshall service error, the Herd cut the deficit to 20-19 with a 7-2 spurt. Coastal outscored the Thundering Herd 5-2 to finish the sweep with a 25-21 third-set win.
Coastal Carolina will return to action in Conway, S.C., with Marshall on Saturday, Sept. 28. The opening serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
For complete coverage of CCU women's volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalVball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
