Article and photos by T Ray Henry
On Tuesday, October 6th, the Marshall High School volleyball team, hosted the Red Hill High School (Bridgeport) Salukis in a non-conference match inside McNary Gymnasium on Superhero Night for the Marshall student section. Marshall came into the match with a record of 17-7, while Red Hill came in with a record of 3-12.
After Marshall senior Harper Richardson was recognized for becoming the first student athlete in school history to reach the 600-kill and 1250-assist career plateaus simultaneously, the Lions took to the floor and did what they were supposed to do in a straight set win over Red Hill by the scores of 25-10 and 25-13. All but two of Red Hill’s players played in the junior varsity match and were extended by Marshall’s JV team to three sets, so the Salukis didn’t have fresh legs against the Lions’ varsity squad.
In the opening set of the varsity contest, Marshall raced out to leads of 7-1 and 10-3 early, paced by three kills from Harper Richardson, a tip winner and serving ace from Lilly Ross, a serving ace from Lauren English, and a kill and winning hit from Ellie Delp.
Marshall then scored six straight points on 6 straight serves by Harper Richardson, who served four aces during the stretch. Lilly Ross also scored a kill to give the Lions a 16-3 lead. Red Hill got a short streak going to get within eight with the score 16-8 before Marshall, after a time out in order to regroup, went on a 9-2 run to win the opening set 25-10.
Scoring for Marshall in the latter part of the opening set were Lilly Ross with a kill, tip winner, block winner, and a serving ace, and Lauren English with a tip winner on the left side.
In the second set of the varsity match, Lilly Ross opening up the scoring barrage with an ace on the opening serve. Harper Richardson followed with a tip winner, then Lauren English served an ace. Kills by Ellie Delp and Harper Richardson, followed by a tip by Richardson and Libby Huisinga gave Marshall a 7-2 lead.
After Red Hill got a side out to close the Lions’ lead to four at 7-3, Harper Richardson sliced an ace through the Saluki block to make it 8-3, then after a combo block by Lauren English and Lilly Ross, followed by an ace served by Ellie Delp and a kill by Libby Huisinga, the Lions suddenly had a 14-5 advantage.
From that point on, the teams pretty much traded points the rest of the way as Marshall came away with winning the second set by the score of 25-13 to take the match in straight sets. Ali Sheets served an ace, while Lilly Ross scored a winner and served consecutive aces to put the Lions ahead 21-9. Down the stretch, Harper Richardson scored a kill, McKenzie Davis scored on a tip winner, Richardson and Davis then combined on a block at the net for a point, and finally, Richardson scored with another kill. With the win, Marshall’s record now stands at 18-7, while Red Hill falls to 3-13.
Statistical Highlights ...
Aces - Ross 6, Richardson 4, English 2, Delp 1
Assists - Ross 9, Richardson 5
Blocks - English 4, Richardson 2, Ross 2, Davis 1, Huisinga 1
Digs - English 8, Richardson 6, Sheets 6
Kills - Richardson 8, Ross 5, Delp 2, Davis 1, Huisinga 1
In the junior varsity match, just as the team did in Westville the previous night, the young Lions came out of the gate and played very well together in the opener, winning the first set against what basically was Red Hill’s varsity team sans two players by the score of 25-21. The squad, however, could not sustain the momentum in the second set while losing by double digits. In the third and deciding set, the teams went all the way to overtime. Marshall had a chance to win the match leading 16-15 in the third on an ace served by Susie Strohm, but Red Hill scored the next three points to win the third set 18-16 and the match two sets to one. Joining Susie Strohm in the scoring column for Marshall were Libby Huisinga, Aubrie Ockerman, Olivia Strohm, Aubree Shaffer, Lauren Richards, Breck Bishop, and Lexi Mason.
With Marshall (18-7) and IHSA Class 2A 7th ranked Newton (22-2) both undefeated in conference play at 4-0 and tied for first place, the Lions and the Lady Eagles clash in a crucial Little Illini Conference battle this Thursday night at Newton Community High School to battle it out to see who remains at the top of the conference standings. The junior varsity match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM, with the varsity contest to follow.
Ellie Delp goes up for the kill
Ali Sheets races into the Superhero student section to save a point for Marshall against Red Hill
Lauren English strikes over the Red Hill block attempt during Marshall's straight set win
Lauren English (L) and Lilly Ross (R) win the block at the net against Red Hill
Harper Richardson scores a kill during the second set against Red Hill
Nicole Ponziani warms up before the game
