Thrower sets national record in weekend sweep

The IU volleyball team did not drop a set all weekend, beating Southeast Missouri State, Youngstown State and Buffalo to win the IU Classic at home.

The Hoosiers had three players named to the All-IU Classic team, including tournament MVP Kelci Marschall.

Marschall said the strong play and support of her teammates enabled her to perform her best.

“I know my teammates believed in me, and that helped me more than anything,” Marschall said. “To have their emotions and their play backing me up helped me play more aggressively.”

IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said Marschall’s all-around performance, from her serving to her defensive passing to her blocking, came together this weekend to make her a complete player.

“We have been seeing a little bit of it throughout the last two weekends, but today she really put it together (against Buffalo),” Dunbar said. “She was really a complete player this tournament and really deserved that honor.”

Although Marschall received MVP honors, her fellow All-IU Classic selection, junior middle blocker Samantha Thrower, made history Saturday against Buffalo by breaking the Big Ten record and tying the national record for hitting percentage.

Thrower had 15 kills on 15 attempts, including starting 8-for-8 in the first set. She broke Purdue player Debbie Mcdonald’s Big Ten record of 13-for-13, which was set in 1987.

By going 15-for-15, Thrower also tied Arkansas State player Katie Silliman’s record for the best hitting percentage with a minimum between 15 and 19 swings.

While Thrower was perfect on kills against Buffalo, junior setter Whitney Granado’s 26 assists against Buffalo and 80 total assists for the tournament put Thrower and the other hitters in position to earn the kills all weekend.

Dunbar said when Granado is in the game, the offense flows better.

“When she’s in there, the tempo of our offense is really fantastic,” Dunbar said. “She’s just steady right now, and I feel really comfortable with her on the court. I think there’s a trust there with her and the hitters that’s really starting to develop.”

The Hoosiers’ third All-IU Classic selection, freshman middle blocker Morgan Leach, racked up 31 kills on the weekend, with a high of 14 kills against Southeast Missouri State.

Leach put an exclamation mark on the sweep against Southeast Missouri State as she drilled a floating free ball to the ground to earn her sixth kill of the third set and 14th of the night.

“It felt awesome to really contribute to the team as a freshman and to go out there and demand the ball to help us out and put it away,” Leach said.

Dunbar said the perfect weekend at home was a statement about protecting home court.

“It’s all about defending your home court,” Dunbar said. “Whether you’re playing in the Big Ten or outside of the Big Ten, this is our home, and we talk about it all the time. This is the place that it is mandatory to win.”