Richardson, Ross Power Marshall Past Tri-County in Straight Sets

MARSHALL, Ill. — Harper Richardson hit .643 with nine kills and ran the Marshall offense for 12 assists Tuesday as the Lions swept visiting Tri-County (Kansas/Shiloh/Oakland) 2-0 in non-conference volleyball.

The senior was the central figure on both sides of the net. Richardson finished with nine kills on 14 swings without an attack error, added three solo blocks — the most of anyone in the match — and chipped in three digs and a service ace while splitting setting duties.

Marshall’s serving did much of the rest. Sophomore Lillian Ross went 15-for-16 from the service line with six aces and 11 service points, a run of pressure Tri-County never solved. Senior Mckenzie Davis added two aces and seven points, and junior Ali Sheets served 9-for-10 for seven points while handling a team-high 10 serve-receive attempts without an error.

Ross was equally busy in the front and back rows, posting six kills on 12 attacks, 10 assists and a match-high seven digs. Senior Ellie Delp hit .444 with five kills, and freshman Libby Huisinga added three kills off the bench rotation. As a team, the Lions put down 25 kills on 54 attempts and hit .296, improving to 18-8.

Tri-County struggled to generate offense against Marshall’s block, finishing with eight kills on 37 attempts and eight attack errors for a hitting percentage of .000. Senior Cara Phillips led the Titans with three kills on 13 swings, and junior Rylee Hill matched her with three. Senior Addi Heltsley distributed six assists, and senior Taylor Williams led the defense with five digs.

Tri-County’s best stretches came on serve, where the Titans picked up three aces — one each from seniors Brookelyn Gough and Addi Heltsley’s rotation mates, junior Alexis Conley and Hill. Gough served 4-for-5 with an ace, and sophomore Addy Tyler and Conley each recorded a solo block at the net.

The loss dropped the Titans to 6-17.

Game Summary

Score by Sets

Individual set scores were not included in the available data.

Individual Statistics

MARSHALL

KILLS: Harper Richardson 9 (14 att, 0 err, .643); Lillian Ross 6 (12 att, 1 err, .417); Ellie Delp 5 (9 att, 1 err, .444); Libby Huisinga 3 (8 att, 3 err, .000); Mckenzie Davis 2 (11 att, 4 err, -.182). Team: 25 kills, 54 attempts, 9 errors, .296.

ASSISTS: Harper Richardson 12; Lillian Ross 10.

SERVING: Lillian Ross 6 aces (15-16, 11 pts); Mckenzie Davis 2 aces (9-11, 7 pts); Harper Richardson 1 ace (6-6, 2 pts); Ali Sheets (9-10, 7 pts); Lauren English (1-2, 1 pt); Libby Huisinga (2-3, 1 pt); Ellie Delp (2-2). Team: 9 aces.

DIGS: Lillian Ross 7; Ali Sheets 5; Mckenzie Davis 4; Ellie Delp 3; Harper Richardson 3; Lauren English 2.

BLOCKS: Harper Richardson 3 (3 solo); Lillian Ross 1 (assist); Libby Huisinga 1 (assist).

SERVE RECEIVE: Ali Sheets 10 (0 err); Lauren English 8 (1 err); Mckenzie Davis 6; Harper Richardson 3; Ellie Delp 1 (1 err).

TRI-COUNTY (KANSAS/SHILOH/OAKLAND)

KILLS: Cara Phillips 3 (13 att, 1 err, .154); Rylee Hill 3 (11 att, 3 err, .000); Brookelyn Gough 1 (4 att, 0 err); Maria Ehlers 1 (3 att, 1 err, .000). Team: 8 kills, 37 attempts, 8 errors, .000.

ASSISTS: Addi Heltsley 6; Taylor Williams 1.

SERVING: Brookelyn Gough 1 ace (4-5); Alexis Conley 1 ace (2-3); Rylee Hill 1 ace (5-5); Addi Heltsley (5-5); Cara Phillips (5-5); Taylor Williams (1-2); Maria Ehlers (1-1). Team: 3 aces.

DIGS: Taylor Williams 5; Rylee Hill 2.

BLOCKS: Addy Tyler 1 (solo); Alexis Conley 1 (solo).