Richardson’s 11 Kills and 5 Aces Carry Marshall Past Shelbyville in Three-Set Tournament Win

Harper Richardson did a little of everything Saturday, and Marshall needed all of it. The senior hammered 11 kills, distributed 12 assists and served five aces as the Lions outlasted Shelbyville 2-1 in a neutral-site tournament match on Sept. 12.

Marshall, the designated visitor, improved to 18-8 on the season. Shelbyville fell to 11-11.

Richardson’s 12 service points led all players in the match and gave the Lions the kind of free offense that decides three-set tournament play. Her five aces came on 17 service attempts — a 29.4 percent ace rate — and she added five digs and a team-high two total blocks, including the Lions’ only solo stuff.

Sophomore Lillian Ross matched Richardson’s 12 assists and was Marshall’s most efficient attacker, converting eight kills on 19 swings for a .211 hitting percentage. Ross also chipped in three aces and 12 digs, one of two Lions to reach double figures on defense.

The other was junior Ali Sheets, who anchored the back row with 13 digs and handled 13 serve-receive attempts. Sheets didn’t register a kill, but she served 11 times without more than a single error, a 90.9 percent clip that kept Marshall’s rotations alive.

Senior Ellie Delp added four kills and four digs while taking a team-high 13 swings outside of Richardson and Ross, and freshman Libby Huisinga was quietly efficient off the bench rotation, turning four attacks into two kills. Senior Mckenzie Davis contributed two kills, six digs and a block assist, and senior Lauren English added five digs and six receptions.

As a team, Marshall put down 27 kills and served eight aces, hitting .118 on 76 attempts. The Lions’ edge came largely at the service line and in the middle of the court, where their 25 assists reflected a cleaner connection between passer and setter than their opponents managed.

Shelbyville had its own answers, and they were enough to steal a set. Sophomore setter Taya Wiley ran the Rams’ offense for stretches with 10 assists and was perfect on her own swings, converting three of six attempts for a .500 clip. Senior Ava Corley added five assists, four kills on 12 error-free attacks and a team-high 11 digs.

Freshman Addi Wallis was the Rams’ most dangerous server, delivering five aces and 10 service points on 14 attempts. Sophomore Brynly Rice Delgado led Shelbyville in overall workload, taking 18 serve-receive attempts without an error while adding four kills and eight digs. Junior Meiya Thompson also recorded four kills with two aces, and sophomore Debra Jones posted 10 digs.

Shelbyville actually out-served Marshall 9-8 in aces and matched the Lions’ defensive output with 44 digs to 45. The difference was at the net: the Rams hit .070 as a team, undone by 15 attack errors on 86 swings, with senior Avery Bland taking 15 attempts and committing six errors. Bland, sophomore Stella Beavers and senior Brielle Ko each recorded two total blocks to keep the Rams in it.

Special Notes

Neutral-site tournament match. Marshall entered as the designated visiting team.

Game Summary

Marshall Lions (18-8) def. Shelbyville Rams (11-11), 2-1 — Sept. 12, 2026, neutral site

Score by Sets

Individual set scores were not included in the box score.

Team Totals

Individual Statistics

MARSHALL

KILLS: Harper Richardson (Sr) 11 (30 att, 8 err, .100); Lillian Ross (So) 8 (19 att, 4 err, .211); Ellie Delp (Sr) 4 (13 att, 2 err, .154); Mckenzie Davis (Sr) 2 (9 att, 3 err, -.111); Libby Huisinga (Fr) 2 (4 att, 0 err, .500)

ASSISTS: Richardson 12 (4.0/set); Ross 12 (4.0/set); Huisinga 1

ACES: Richardson 5 (17 SA); Ross 3 (13 SA) — Serving: Ali Sheets (Jr) 11-of-11-plus (90.9%, 5 pts); Delp 6 SA (66.7%, 2 pts); Davis 8 SA (75.0%, 3 pts); Huisinga 6 SA (83.3%, 1 pt); Lauren English (Sr) 1 SA

DIGS: Sheets 13 (4.3/set); Ross 12 (4.0/set); Davis 6; English 5; Richardson 5; Delp 4

BLOCKS: Richardson 2 (1 solo, 1 assist); Ross 1 (assist); Davis 1 (assist); Huisinga 1 (assist)

SERVE RECEIVE: Sheets 13 (2 err); Ross 9 (1 err); Davis 8 (1 err); Richardson 7; Delp 6; English 6; Huisinga 2

SHELBYVILLE

KILLS: Brynly Rice Delgado (So) 4 (15 att, 2 err, .133); Ava Corley (Sr) 4 (12 att, 0 err, .333); Meiya Thompson (Jr) 4 (15 att, 4 err, .000); Avery Bland (Sr) 3 (15 att, 6 err, -.200); Taya Wiley (So) 3 (6 att, 0 err, .500); Brielle Ko (Sr) 2 (9 att, 0 err, .222); Stella Beavers (So) 1 (10 att, 3 err, -.200)

ASSISTS: Wiley 10 (3.3/set); Corley 5 (1.7/set); Debra Jones (So) 1

ACES: Addi Wallis (Fr) 5 (14 SA, 10 pts); Thompson 2 (11 SA, 6 pts); Rice Delgado 1 (10 SA, 4 pts); Wiley 1 (7 SA, 2 pts) — Serving: Corley 8-for-8 (4 pts); Jones 9-for-9 (5 pts); Bland 1-for-1

DIGS: Corley 11; Jones 10; Rice Delgado 8; Bland 6; Duckett 2; Wallis 2; Beavers 2; Wiley 1; Ko 1; Thompson 1

BLOCKS: Bland 2 (1 solo, 1 assist); Beavers 2 (2 solo); Ko 2 (1 solo, 1 assist)

SERVE RECEIVE: Rice Delgado 18 (0 err); Jones 14 (2 err); Bland 9 (4 err); Piper Duckett (Fr) 2