Huntington, W.Va.-The Marshall volleyball team got their 20th win of the season Friday night with a three-game sweep of the Kent State Golden Flashes, 3-0 (30-25, 30-27, 30-25). Marshall improved to 20-8, 11-4 in the MAC, while Kent State drops to 16-11, 9-6 in conference play. The 10-1 home record for the Herd is also the best winning percentage (91%) in the 32-year history of Marshall volleyball.

“When our intensity was high, we were excellent tonight,” said Marshall head coach Mitch Jacobs. “We played really stingy volleyball tonight. The win had nothing to do with our offense; it was a total defensive effort.”

The Herd’s attempt at their first 20-win season since 1998 was a battle that looked harder than what the score indicated. Game one was a back-and-forth effort that swung Marshall’s way when the Thundering Herd won eight out of ten points to make a 12-10 Kent State advantage into an 18-14 MU lead. The four-point spread was as close as the Golden Flashes would get, as Marshall cruised to a 30-25 first game win.

Game two started tight early, and in the 18th point, the score was tied at nine. The runs then began for both teams, as Marshall strung together four points in a row to make it 13-9, only to be countered by the Golden Flashes, who went on a six-point run of their own to take a 15-13 lead. KSU held that lead until Katie Stein (Sussex, Wis.) took the ball to serve trailing 21-19. Stein served the Herd to the next four points and an advantage they would never relinquish, as they won game two 30-27.

Game three was Marshall’s throughout. The Thundering Herd never trailed, cruising to a 30-25 victory.

Marshall got an outstanding performance from freshman Amber Sims (Ney, Ohio). Sims had 13 kills and a .296 hitting percentage (13-5-27). Junior Isabell Anderer (Sinsheim, Germany) also stood out for the Herd, adding 14 kills and eight digs. Stein posted a double-double from the setters position with 41 assists and ten digs.

Kent got a ten kill, 14 dig performance from Danielle Holt. Anne Butts led the Golden Flashes with 16 digs.

Marshall travels to Ypsilanti, Michigan for a match with the Eastern Michigan Eagles Saturday night. Match time is set for 7 p.m.