Marshall volleyball season begins with a sweep over Chrisman 25-10 and 25-14

Article and photos by T Ray Henry

On Thursday, August 27^th, the Marshall High School volleyball team began the 2026 campaign by hosting the Chrisman High School Cardinals in a non-conference doubleheader inside McNary Gymnasium on the campus of Marshall High School. Last year, the Lions had their best season in many years by going 22-8 overall and finishing one game out of a share of the Little Illini Conference championship. The Lions graduated four seniors who each played all four years, so this year’s season began with some question marks as to who was going to fill the void under new head coach Karlee McCollum.

A large Marshall student section and a good crowd came out to see if this team had the potential to stay competitive in the LIC, as well as seeing which Lions were going to replace versatile players who graduated at setter, outside hitter, serving specialist, and libero. With returning starters in senior Harper Richardson and sophomore Lilly Ross, they were joined in the starting lineup by seniors McKenzie Davis, Lauren English, and Lily Shotts, as well as junior Ali Sheets at libero and freshman Libby Huisinga up front.

If there were a word or two to describe the difference between the 2025 edition of the Marshall Lions and this year’s version, albeit based on observing just one match, it would be speed and versatility. The interchangeable parts on the floor allow these Lions to space the floor well on defense and attack the net from multiple positions on offense.

Marshall spotted the Cardinals two points before outscoring the visitors 7-1 to make the score 7-3 in the opening set. Scoring for the Lions during the stretch were Lauren English with a winner from the left side, McKenzie Davis with a kill and an ace, Harper Richardson with an ace, Lilly Ross with a kill and a tip winner, and Lily Shotts with a kill. Chrisman climbed back to tie the first set at 7.

With the set tied at 7, a Lilly Ross kill for Marshall began a 13-1 run, finishing the run with a Ross ace to make the score 20-8. While scoring in bunches on serves by Ali Sheets and Lilly Ross, the Big Red got kills from Libby Huisinga, Lilly Ross (who had 3 during the spurt to go along with a block for a point), Harper Richardson, and Lauren English.

Down the stretch in the first set, Marshall kept the pressure on, and with a tip winner by Harper Richardson followed by a kill by McKenzie Davis, and after an unforced error by the Cardinals, the Lions were at set point with the score 24-10. On the next point, Marshall’s Lily Shotts blocked a Chrisman spike at the net for the winning point as the Lions won Set #1 by the score of 25-10.

In the second set, the Lions continued to put pressure on the Cardinals by jumping out to an 11-3 lead. Aces by Ali Sheets and Lilly Ross were accompanied by kills from McKenzie Davis, Lauren English (who also had a winning point and a block for a point), Libby Huisinga, Lilly Ross (who also had a tip winner), and Harper Richardson.

The Lions maintained their advantage with a tip winner and kill by Harper Richardson, and kills by McKenzie Davis, Libby Huisinga, and Lilly Ross for the Lions to open up a 16-8 lead. After Chrisman cut Marshall’s lead to 6 points with the score 16-10, the Lions closed out the second set with a 9-4 run to win the second set by the score of 25-14, completing the sweep of Chrisman two sets to none. Scoring for Marshall to the finish were Lilly Ross with a winner and two aces, McKenzie Davis with an ace, and Harper Richardson, who closed out the match with a kill and a block winner on back-to-back points. Richardson’s kill to make the score 24-14 ended a lengthy rally where spirited play by both sides was highlighted by the back row play of Marshall which made multiple saves.

In the junior varsity match, Marshall came away with a sweep over Chrisman’s JV squad 25-21 and 25-21 to open their season. In the opening set of the JV contest, Marshall had first game jitters as Chrisman jumped out to a 9-3 lead before the Lions righted the ship and got back into the set. Highlighted by serves from Libby Huisinga and Allie Thompson, Marshall climbed out of the 9-3 hole to tie the set at 11. The Lions once again fell behind 17-13 before the Marshall side went on a 12-4 run to close out the opening set by winning 25-21. Olivia Strohm (2 kills, points on serve), Aubree Shaffer (2 kills, ace), Libby Huisinga (ace), Lexi Mason (ace), Lauren Richards (winner, tip, kill), and Allie Thompson (ace) all scored for the Lions in the first set.

In the second set of the JV match, the young Lions stayed more competitive in the early stages of the set, as the sides split the first 14 points to tie it up at 7 apiece. Chrisman then went out in front and took advantage of Marshall hits into the net and out of bounds, outscoring the Lions 11-2 to take a 17-9 lead. Marshall would not go away, though, as evidenced by the Lions going on a tear, outscoring Chrisman 16-4 the rest of the way to win the second set by the score of 25-21, sweeping the Cardinals JV squad in straight sets. Scoring for Marshall in Set #2 were Lauren Richards (2 tip winners, 2 aces), Libby Huisinga (tip winner, block point, 5 big aces), Aubree Shaffer (kill, 2 block points), and Olivia Strohm (block point).

Marshall (1-0) plays their next match Tuesday, September 1^st when the Lions travel to Teutopolis to take on the Wooden Shoes in a non-conference doubleheader. The junior varsity match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM, followed by the varsity match.

Varsity Statistic Highlights

Serving Aces - Ross 7, Davis 2, Richardson 1, Sheets 1, Huisinga 1

Kills - Ross 9, Richardson 6, Davis 4

Assists - Richardson 10, Ross 9

Blocks - Richardson 1

Digs - English 8, Ross 6, Richardson 5, Huisinga 5

Photos

Harper Richardson (3) drills a spike through the Chrisman defense for a point