Article and Photos by T Ray Henry
On Saturday, September 12th, the Marshall High School volleyball team traveled to Shelbyville High School to play in the Shelbyville Volleyball Tournament. Eight teams from as far south as Albion (Edwards County) and as far north and west as Decatur (St. Teresa) came to play in this prestigious tournament of top-rated volleyball teams. Edwards County, which is one year removed from a Class 1A Final Four run, and Pana, which is currently ranked in the top 5 in Class 2A while being unbeaten, were seen as the two top teams in the tourney. Marshall and Shelbyville would have been considered the next tier, and no one can ever predict how Decatur St. Teresa will do because the school can recruit athletes within a 30-mile radius of Decatur, a city of over 67,000 residents.
For the day, Marshall came out of pool play with an unblemished record of 3-0, defeating Edwards County in straight sets, taking down host school Shelbyville in a tight, three-set match, then beating Heritage to win Pool A. In the final round of matches, Marshall played two three-setters against Decatur St. Teresa and Shelbyville, but the Lions came away in the third sets on the short end, falling to St. Teresa 15-12 after splitting the first two sets, then falling to Shelbyville in the third set 15-13 after each side winning one in the first two sets. All in all, Marshall had a very successful tournament. Harper Richardson and Lilly Ross were each named to the All-Tournament Team, and the Lions were awarded fourth place in the 8-team tournament. The Lions could see some of these teams come late October in the state tournament, and these ladies like their chances. After gutting through pool play, the Lions’ gas tanks were on Empty after playing 13 matches from Saturday to Saturday. Of those 13 matches, 7 of the 13 went the distance of three sets.
In Marshall’s first match, they were pitted against Edwards County, who has won 63 matches in the two prior seasons combined (including a Final Four appearance). Marshall’s Lions came out strong against Edwards County’s Lions in the opening set to lead 10-5 on scores by McKenzie Davis (tip winner and kill), Ellie Delp (kill and tip winner), and one kill each from Lilly Ross and Harper Richardson, who were double-teamed whenever they struck at the net.
Lilly Ross then took over during the next phase of the set, connecting on two kills, one block win, and a tip. Nya Engledow served an ace, and Marshall now led 17-14. The three-point lead held up to the end of the first set as Marshall won by the score of 25-22. Scoring for Marshall towards the finish of Set #1 were McKenzie Davis with a tip winner, Lily Shotts with a big block that gave Marshall their biggest lead at five points, Ellie Delp with another kill, then Lilly Ross with another kill at set point.
In the second set, Marshall led wire to wire as they beat Edwards County 25-15 to win the match in straight sets. It was Marshall’s first win over Edwards County in six years.
In the second match of the day against Shelbyville, the Lions rotated players to keep them fresh. Lauren English served very well and chased down hits by the Rams’ outside hitters. How closely matched these two teams are is evident by the fact that after Marshall won the opening set by the score of 25-22, Shelbyville won the second set by the exact same score to set up a third set to settle this battle. In the third set, Shelbyville had no answer for Marshall’s front line of Lilly Ross, Harper Richardson, Libby Huisinga, Ellie Delp, Lily Shotts, and McKenzie Davis. Marshall’s final 8 points in the third set were scores by either Ross or Richardson, with the final score coming on a Richardson tip to beat the Rams 15-12. Prior to this match, Shelbyville had lost just once on their home floor.
Statistical Highlights for the Tournament
Aces – Richardson 10, Ross 9
Kills – Richardson 53, Ross 34
Assists – Ross 56, Richardson 49
Blocks – Ross 10, Huisenga 7, Shotts 6
Digs – Ross 57, Richardson 47, Sheets 33
Against Heritage in the final match of pool play, Marshall was clicking on all cylinders in defeating the Hawks 25-16 and 25-12 to finish unbeaten on their side of the bracket. At one point in the second set, English served a remarkable 9 straight points for Marshall, while Ali Sheets served a five-point stretch and a four-point stretch. Heritage struggle with returning Marshall serves the entire match.
By going 3-2 in the tournament, Marshall now has a record of 10-5 as they transition into a routine of playing a few weeks on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The next match is Monday, September 14th when Marshall hosts Tri-County for a non-conference doubleheader. Junior Varsity action begins at 6:00 PM inside McNary Gymnasium, with the varsity match to follow.
Lilly Ross and Harper Richardson were named to the All-tournament Team
Harper Richardson (3) strikes a kill during action at the Shelbyville volleyball tournament
Lilly Ross (2) tips the ball over the Edwards County block during Marshall's win
Lauren English (5) had an amazing streak of serving 9 straight Marshall points against Heritage
Lily Shotts (7) was active all day blocking strikes for Marshall