Oblong Rallies Past Marshall 2-1 as Panthers’ Serving Edge Decides Non-Conference Match

OBLONG, Ill. — Marshall out-hit Oblong by better than 100 points and matched the Panthers kill for kill, but the Lions could not solve Oblong’s service game in a 2-1 non-conference loss Tuesday at Oblong High School.

The Panthers struck for 10 service aces against just four service errors, serving at better than 95 percent as a team, and that margin at the service line proved to be the difference in a match Marshall otherwise controlled statistically. Oblong improved to 12-13 on the season. Marshall slipped to 18-8.

Harper Richardson gave the Lions every chance. The senior put down a match-high 14 kills on 39 swings, ran the offense for 13 assists out of the back row and the front, added 10 digs for a double-double and chipped in an ace and a block assist. Sophomore Lillian Ross was nearly as productive and considerably more efficient, hammering 12 kills on 29 attempts for a .241 hitting percentage while leading all players with six total blocks — one solo and five assisted — to go with 16 assists and nine digs.

Behind them, libero-caliber work from Ali Sheets kept rallies alive. The junior handled 29 serve receptions with only two errors and dug 19 balls, more than any player on either side. Mckenzie Davis added three kills, three aces and 11 digs, and Nya Engledow served two aces with four digs. Freshman Libby Huisinga contributed two kills on seven swings and a pair of block assists in the middle.

As a team, Marshall hit .130 on 108 attempts, with 32 kills against 18 errors. Oblong managed 27 kills on 104 swings but committed 25 attack errors, finishing at .019 for the match — the kind of number that usually loses a volleyball match.

What saved the Panthers was ball control and serving. Freshman Ever Glosser led the way with four aces on 14 serves while hitting .300 with four kills on 10 attempts, and senior Mia Weber went a perfect 13-for-13 at the line with three aces and 13 digs. Brooke Kintner was Oblong’s most efficient attacker, putting away nine kills on 17 swings for a .353 clip while taking on the bulk of the serve receive — 28 receptions with a single error — and digging 11 balls.

Brylee Murray quarterbacked the Oblong attack with 13 assists and dug a team-best 15 balls while serving 9-for-9 with an ace. Ava Pfeifer added eight assists and Maddie Lewis four, giving the Panthers a two-setter look that kept Marshall’s blockers guessing. Norah Hoke was Oblong’s busiest swinger with seven kills on 32 attempts, and Lewis took 25 swings for three kills.

Oblong’s blocking was spread thin — Kintner, Lewis, Hoke and Gracie Russell each recorded one total block — but the Panthers compensated with 69 team digs to Marshall’s 56.

Marshall’s seven service errors, against seven aces, left the Lions essentially even at the line while Oblong finished plus-six. In a three-set match, that gap was enough.

Special Notes

Non-conference match played at Oblong. Marshall entered with a winning record at 18-8; Oblong moved back toward .500 at 12-13 with the victory.

Game Summary

Score by Sets

Individual set scores were not available in the match data.

Individual Statistics

MARSHALL (18-8)

ATTACKING: Harper Richardson (Sr) – 14 K, 39 Att, 9 E, .128; Lillian Ross (So) – 12 K, 29 Att, 5 E, .241; Mckenzie Davis (Sr) – 3 K, 14 Att, 2 E, .071; Libby Huisinga (Fr) – 2 K, 7 Att, 0 E, .286; Lauren English (Sr) – 1 K, 18 Att, 2 E, -.056; Ali Sheets (Jr) – 0 K, 1 Att, .000. Team: 32 K, 108 Att, 18 E, .130

SETTING / BALL HANDLING: Lillian Ross – 16 Ast; Harper Richardson – 13 Ast; Mckenzie Davis – 2 Ast; Ali Sheets – 1 Ast. Team: 32 Ast

SERVING: Mckenzie Davis – 3 A, 14 SA, 2 SE, 85.7%; Nya Engledow (Sr) – 2 A, 10 SA, 1 SE, 90.0%; Ali Sheets – 1 A, 19 SA, 1 SE, 94.7%; Harper Richardson – 1 A, 13 SA, 1 SE, 92.3%; Lillian Ross – 0 A, 10 SA, 2 SE, 80.0%; Libby Huisinga – 0 A, 5 SA. Team: 7 A, 7 SE

DIGS: Ali Sheets – 19; Mckenzie Davis – 11; Harper Richardson – 10; Lillian Ross – 9; Nya Engledow – 4; Lauren English – 2; Libby Huisinga – 1. Team: 56

BLOCKING: Lillian Ross – 1 BS, 5 BA, 6 Tot; Libby Huisinga – 2 BA, 2 Tot; Harper Richardson – 1 BA, 1 Tot. Team: 9 Tot

SERVE RECEIVE: Ali Sheets – 29 R, 2 RE; Mckenzie Davis – 14 R, 3 RE; Nya Engledow – 8 R, 2 RE; Harper Richardson – 4 R, 1 RE; Lauren English – 1 R, 1 RE; Lillian Ross – 1 R, 0 RE.

OBLONG (12-13)

ATTACKING: Brooke Kintner (Jr) – 9 K, 17 Att, 3 E, .353; Norah Hoke (Sr) – 7 K, 32 Att, 9 E, -.062; Brylee Murray (Jr) – 4 K, 13 Att, 4 E, .000; Ever Glosser (Fr) – 4 K, 10 Att, 1 E, .300; Maddie Lewis (Sr) – 3 K, 25 Att, 6 E, -.120; Ava Pfeifer (So) – 0 K, 2 Att; Keyla Wolfe (Fr) – 0 K, 5 Att, 2 E, -.400. Team: 27 K, 104 Att, 25 E, .019

SETTING / BALL HANDLING: Brylee Murray – 13 Ast; Ava Pfeifer – 8 Ast; Maddie Lewis – 4 Ast. Team: 25 Ast

SERVING: Ever Glosser – 4 A, 14 SA, 1 SE, 92.9%; Mia Weber (Sr) – 3 A, 13 SA, 0 SE, 100.0%; Brooke Kintner – 2 A, 12 SA, 2 SE, 83.3%; Brylee Murray – 1 A, 9 SA, 0 SE, 100.0%; Maddie Lewis – 0 A, 12 SA, 0 SE, 100.0%; Norah Hoke – 0 A, 10 SA, 1 SE, 90.0%. Team: 10 A, 4 SE

DIGS: Brylee Murray – 15; Mia Weber – 13; Norah Hoke – 12; Brooke Kintner – 11; Maddie Lewis – 10; Ava Pfeifer – 3; Ever Glosser – 3; Keyla Wolfe – 2. Team: 69

BLOCKING: Brooke Kintner – 1 BA, 1 Tot; Maddie Lewis – 1 BS, 1 Tot; Norah Hoke – 1 BA, 1 Tot; Gracie Russell (So) – 1 BS, 1 Tot. Team: 4 Tot

SERVE RECEIVE: Brooke Kintner – 28 R, 1 RE; Mia Weber – 16 R, 1 RE; Norah Hoke – 10 R, 0 RE; Brylee Murray – 1 R, 0 RE.