Oregon State
3-10, 1-2Pac-12
Utah
7-7, 1-2Pac-12
Marshall's 30 Kills Lead OSU Past Utah, 3-2
October 03, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Mary-Kate Marshall had 30 kills on .266 hitting and added 14 digs to lead the Oregon State volleyball team to a 3-2 win over the Utah Utes on Friday night at Gill Coliseum.
In Friday night's decisive fifth set, OSU (3-10, 1-2 Pac-12) found itself in a hole early, down 8-4 in the frame to Utah (7-7, 1-2 Pac-12). After the two teams changed sides, the Beavers went on a 5-1 run to tie up the score at nine, and behind four consecutive kills from Marshall, went up 13-10 in the set. Utah committed a pair of errors down the stretch, accounting for the final two points the Beavers needed to claim the set, 15-12, and the win, 3-2.
Marshall is the first OSU player since Rachel Rourke to post 30 or more kills in a match, as Rourke buried 31 against Arizona on Nov. 7, 2009. The record is 36 kills, also set by Rourke against Oregon on Oct. 30, 2009.
“We went to our best player and she performed and got us over the hump,” Oregon State head coach Taras Liskevych said. “Scoring 32 points and getting 30 kills in a double-double – that's a great game. That's what we want to see.”
Marshall was one of three OSU players with a double-double in the match, as junior outside hitter Lila Toner buried 15 kills with 11 digs, and redshirt freshman setter McKenna Hollingsworth tallied 46 assists and 16 digs in her second collegiate start. Freshman libero Kayla Ellis registered a season-high 24 digs and added six assists, while redshirt senior middle blocker Haley Clarke racked up six total blocks, including three solo efforts.
“We really made a great push there after we switched sides, when we were down 4-8 and Darby Reeder came in to serve in that fifth set,” Liskevych said. “She did a great job. Kayla did a very good job digging today. McKenna came in and hung in there and dug well, which was great to see. Kudos to Haley, who did a really good job blocking. We held their best player (Adora Anae) to 13 percent hitting.”
As a team, OSU recorded 62 kills, edging out 56 by Utah. The Beavers held additional statistical edges in hitting percentage (.185-.144), assists (58-53) and in digs (89-87). Each team recorded six service aces, while the Utes recorded more blocks than the Beavers (12.5-8).
In the opening set of the match, the two teams matched each other up to a tie at 11, before OSU used a 4-0 run to lead 15-11 at the first media timeout. The Beavers held a four-point advantage until 22-18, but Utah used a 4-0 run to knot it up at 22 apiece and then took four of the final six points to win the opening set, 26-24.
After a back-and-forth opening frame, OSU opened the second set with an 8-3 lead. Three OSU errors helped Utah close the gap to 10-9 before the Utes closed within one at 12-11 and tied it up at 15. The Beavers broke the tie with a 4-1 run to go up 20-16, and held the lead for the remainder of the set, tying the match with a 25-21 second set win.
The third set returned to back-and-forth play, with OSU taking the set's first run to go up, 13-9. Utah cut the deficit to one at 14-13 and hung within one until taking the lead at 19-18. The Utes won every point remaining in the third set to close out the frame, 25-18.
OSU set the tone for a big fourth set by opening with a 9-4 run and never let off the pedal, taking a 10-point lead at 23-13. The Beavers knotted up the match at two sets each with a 25-13 fourth set win, setting up the Beavers' big five-set victory.
“It's a good win for us,” Liskevych said. “We have to go back after it on Sunday and not be satisfied.”
The Oregon State volleyball team returns to action on Sunday for the second half of its weekend homestand, as the Beavers host the Colorado Buffaloes at Gill Coliseum. The match is slated to begin at 11 a.m. PT.
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeavsVolleyball, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateVolleyball or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateVolleyball.
