Ross Hammers 17 Kills as Marshall Outlasts Dieterich in Three Sets

MARSHALL, Ill. — Sophomore Lillian Ross put together one of the most efficient nights a hitter can have, pounding 17 kills on 31 swings with just two errors, and the Marshall Lions held off visiting Dieterich 2-1 in a non-conference match.

The win moved Marshall to 18-8 on the season. Dieterich, the Movin Maroons, fell to 9-15 after pushing the Lions to a deciding third set.

Ross was the match’s defining presence. Her .484 hitting percentage — more than twice the team’s .186 mark — came from a 54.8 kill percentage, meaning better than half of everything she put in the air ended the rally. She was not limited to the front-row attack, either, adding 12 digs, 10 assists and a team-high four total blocks, including the only solo stuff of the night. In a three-set match where every swing carried weight, Ross was the one Marshall could keep going back to.

Senior setter Harper Richardson ran the offense and distributed 21 assists while finding her own openings at the net, where she added eight kills on 25 attempts with only two errors for a .240 clip. Richardson also served a clean 14 attempts without an error, picking up two aces, and chipped in 11 digs.

Marshall’s serving was the quiet separator. The Lions put 13 aces on the floor against only nine service errors across 73 attempts. Senior Lauren English led the way with three aces at a 27.3 ace percentage, and senior Mckenzie Davis matched her with three of her own to go with five kills and 11 digs. Freshman Libby Huisinga added two aces and two kills in her three sets of work, and junior Ali Sheets served 16 times with a single error for a 93.8 percentage, adding two aces.

Behind the service line and in the back row, Sheets was everywhere. She finished with a team-best 19 digs — 6.3 per set — and handled 20 serve receptions, giving Marshall a steady first contact when Dieterich tried to pressure the Lions’ passing. English added 16 receptions and 10 digs, and Richardson and Davis each logged 11 digs as Marshall dug out 65 balls as a team.

At the net, the Lions turned eight total blocks into momentum. Ross’ four led the way, English added two block assists, and Davis and Huisinga each contributed one.

Dieterich’s resistance showed up in Marshall’s attacking line: the Lions committed 17 attack errors on 102 swings, a sign the Movin Maroons’ defense forced the hosts to keep hitting into traffic. But with Ross producing nearly half of Marshall’s 36 kills and the Lions’ serving tilting rallies early, Dieterich could not close out the third set.

Special Notes

Non-conference match. Marshall played the match at home.

Game Summary

Match Result

Individual set scores were not available in the provided data.

Team Totals — Marshall

Kills: 36 | Attempts: 102 | Errors: 17 | Hitting %: .186

Assists: 32

Aces: 13 | Service Errors: 9 | Service Attempts: 73

Digs: 65

Total Blocks: 8 (1 solo, 7 assists)

Individual Statistics — Marshall

KILLS / ATTACKING: Lillian Ross (So, #2) – 17 K, 31 Att, 2 E, .484; Harper Richardson (Sr, #3) – 8 K, 25 Att, 2 E, .240; Mckenzie Davis (Sr, #13) – 5 K, 17 Att, 5 E, .000; Lauren English (Sr, #5) – 4 K, 16 Att, 6 E, -.125; Libby Huisinga (Fr, #11) – 2 K, 12 Att, 2 E, .000; Ali Sheets (Jr, #4) – 0 K, 1 Att

ASSISTS / BALL HANDLING: Harper Richardson – 21 Ast (7.0/set), 62 BHA; Lillian Ross – 10 Ast (3.3/set), 35 BHA; Ali Sheets – 1 Ast, 3 BHA; Lauren English – 1 BHA

SERVING: Lauren English – 3 SA, 11 Att, 2 SE, 81.8%, 5 pts; Mckenzie Davis – 3 SA, 16 Att, 3 SE, 81.2%, 8 pts; Ali Sheets – 2 SA, 16 Att, 1 SE, 93.8%, 10 pts; Harper Richardson – 2 SA, 14 Att, 0 SE, 100.0%, 7 pts; Libby Huisinga – 2 SA, 7 Att, 2 SE, 71.4%, 3 pts; Lillian Ross – 1 SA, 9 Att, 1 SE, 88.9%, 3 pts

DIGS: Ali Sheets – 19 (6.3/set); Lillian Ross – 12 (4.0); Harper Richardson – 11 (3.7); Mckenzie Davis – 11 (3.7); Lauren English – 10 (3.3); Libby Huisinga – 2 (0.7)

BLOCKING: Lillian Ross – 1 BS, 3 BA, 4 total (1.3/set); Lauren English – 2 BA, 2 total; Mckenzie Davis – 1 BA, 1 total; Libby Huisinga – 1 BA, 1 total

SERVE RECEIVE: Ali Sheets – 20 R (6.7/set); Lauren English – 16 R (5.3); Lillian Ross – 8 R, 1 RE; Mckenzie Davis – 6 R; Harper Richardson – 3 R; Libby Huisinga – 1 R