CONWAY, S.C. – Jalyn Stout led the Coastal Carolina volleyball team to a second 3-0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-18) sweep over the Marshall Thundering Herd at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., on Saturday afternoon in the Sun Belt Conference opening weekend for both teams.
 
Coastal (6-7, 2-0 SBC) was led by Stout with a match-high 18 kills, 13 assists, and 16 digs to record her sixth triple-double of the season and 20th of her career, while Emily Fowler, Agata Lesiak, and Emma Van Elslande added nine, eight, and eight put-downs. Cagla Bengi had a team-high 21 assists along with Stout's 13 helpers.
 
Defensively, CCU totaled 10 blocks as Valentina Varani totaled seven stops with Stout and Fowler stopping two kill attempts each at the net. Along with Stout's match-high 16 digs, Fowler added nine digs, and Sydney Lewis, Anna Smith, and Bengi tallied five each.
 
Marshall (9-6, 0-2 SBC) was led by Audrey Geer, who had 11 kills, while Beatrice Ciccarelli totaled seven spikes. Brynn Brown finished with a match-high 23 assists.
 
The Thundering Herd stopped six kill attempts with Ciccarelli making five stops as Geer tallied two blocks, while Brown finished with a team-high nine digs.
 
In the first set, the two teams traded the first 26 rallies to remain deadlocked at 13-13 as Emma Van Elslande, Stout, and Lesiak had three kills each for the Chants. Marshall pushed ahead 17-13 with a 4-0 spurt before Coastal fought back with a 6-2 surge to even the set at 19-19, highlighted by a pair of kills by Stout.
 
After two quick points by the visitors in black, the two teams went back and forth over the next eight points with the Herd leading 23-21. Coastal used a second 6-2 run to claim a 27-25 opening set win, ignited by a block by Dilara Unal and capped off by a Fowler service ace.
 
Coastal holding a 1-0 match advantage raced to a 10-2 lead that included four blocks by the Chanticleer front line. Marshall battled back to even the score at 14-14 with a 12-4 burst before the two teams traded the next four points for a 16-16 score. Coastal got a 3-0 spurt that included kills by Lesiak and Stout before the Thundering Herd answered with a 3-0 run for a 19-19 score. A 6-1 surge staked that Chants to a 2-0 match lead with the 25-20 second-set victory, highlighted by four kills by Stout.
 
In the final set, Marshall jumped to a 5-3 lead before the Chanticleers responded with three straight points to take a 6-5 advantage, that included a double-team block by Varani and Stout. The Herd doubled up CCU 4-2 to take a 9-8 lead. The two teams traded the next 12 rallies with Marshall holding a 15-14 lead at the media break.
 
After the break, Coastal Carolina took a 22-17 lead with an 8-2 burst, highlighted by kills by Fowler, Van Elslande, and Stout. CCU finished the sweep with a 3-1 run as Van Elslande scored the final two points on service aces for a 25-18 set and 3-0 match win.
 
Coastal Carolina will take to the road on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5 in Norfolk, Va., with Old Dominion. The opening serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Friday and 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.
 
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.