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MARSHALL SPORTS
Herd volleyball working hard to fill vacated spots
HUNTINGTON -- Marshall football is not the only team conducting strenuous two-a-days.
After losing several players from the 2007 Conference USA regular-season championship volleyball squad, Marshall coach Mitch Jacobs has his team in high gear to be ready for the upcoming 2008 slate.
"We need to get some of these younger girls up to speed," Jacobs said. "The speed of the game from high school and club level to now is just dramatically different for them."
Marshall lost four seniors last year that contributed during all four years of eligibility, including All-American Kelly-Anne Billingy.
That means that the incoming freshman class is not only going to be needed to contribute immediately, they are also going to have some big shoes to fill.
Freshman outside hitter Megan Carlson is one of six freshmen on the Herd's 13-woman roster. She said that the previous class was very successful, but she is confident that her class can continue the level of winning.
"It's a new look at things, I know, and it's a lot to live up to, but we have to prove ourselves too," Carlson said. "It's a fresh start to show everyone what we have."
On Thursday, Carlson and her teammates got to take a break from the dual practices each day and take part in a team scrimmage.
Preseason All-Conference USA selection Liz Fleming is going to be one of the Herd's leaders on the court this season, but at this time last year, she was getting ready to take part in her first scrimmage as a wide-eyed freshman.
"I was really nervous," Fleming said. "We practiced before our first scrimmage, but I wasn't sure in a game situation just what it was going to be like."
Both Fleming and Marshall coach Mitch Jacobs agreed on one aspect that they feel all the newcomers to the Herd program need to keep in mind in preparation for this season.
"They have to get used to going hard all the time," Jacobs said. "They were the best player on their high school team so if they didn't go hard all the time, it wasn't like they were going to do any extra running. The only way to play at the college level is to play as hard as you can every moment."
"They've been given a gift. As a team, if we don't give 100 percent in everything we do, we are sacrificing that gift," Fleming said. "We should go all out."
