Richardson’s 7 Kills and 4 Blocks Carry Marshall to 2-0 Sweep at Richland County

OLNEY, Ill. — Harper Richardson was the most efficient player on the floor Tuesday night, and Marshall needed every bit of it. The senior hammered seven kills on 14 swings, turned away four balls at the net and served three aces as the Lions swept Richland County 2-0 in a conference road match, improving to 18-8 on the season.

The sweep was not a matter of overwhelming firepower. Richland County actually out-killed Marshall 20-16 across the two sets. The difference was everything that happened around those kills: the Tigers put 22 attack errors into the net or out of bounds and finished the match at minus-.025 as a team, while Marshall hit .143 and committed nine.

Marshall’s margin came from the service line and the front row. The Lions served six aces to Richland County’s three and missed only five serves in the match. Lauren English went 12-for-13 from the line with two aces and seven service points, and junior Ali Sheets matched her with seven points on 10 serves, adding an ace of her own. Richardson was perfect on 10 attempts and converted three of them into immediate points, a 30 percent ace rate that repeatedly stalled Tiger rotations before they could build momentum.

At the net, Marshall’s block was the match’s quietest difference-maker. Richardson recorded three solo blocks and a fourth assisted stop, two per set, while freshman Libby Huisinga contributed two block assists in her rotation and sophomore Lillian Ross added another. Richland County managed three total blocks.

Ross ran the Lions’ offense and attacked from the middle of it, distributing six assists while putting away four of her 10 swings at .300. Richardson added four assists, Sheets three. Marshall’s 16 assists on 16 kills tells its own story: nearly every ball the Lions finished came out of a clean, set-up attack rather than a scramble.

Defensively, Sheets led Marshall with seven digs and handled nine serves, while English added four digs and a team-high nine receptions. Ellie Delp chipped in three digs and six receptions, and Mckenzie Davis and senior Nya Engledow helped keep the back row organized.

Richland County, which fell to 9-17, had production to build on. Savannah Cycholl was the Tigers’ most effective attacker, converting six of 13 swings for a .308 hitting percentage and adding two aces on a perfect 10-for-10 night serving. Naleigha Harrison matched her with six kills but needed 24 attempts to get them, a volume that reflected how often Richland County was forced to attack out of system against Marshall’s serve.

Parker Shawver anchored the Tiger defense with 10 digs and took 12 serves without an error, the steadiest passing line on either side. Addysen Gray added three kills and six digs, Madison Farmer ran the offense with eight assists and an ace, and Brooklynn Beard contributed five assists and four digs. Sophomore Brianna Beard posted two total blocks, including a solo stop.

The Tigers’ trouble was consistency in the attack. Beyond Cycholl and Kaitlin Kocher, who put away two of her three swings, Richland County’s hitters combined for a negative efficiency, and the error total kept handing Marshall points the Lions never had to earn.

Game Summary

Match Result

Marshall Lions (18-8) def. Richland County Tigers (9-17), 2-0 — conference match at Olney, Ill.

(Individual set scores were not included in the available match data.)

Team Totals

Individual Statistics

MARSHALL

KILLS: Harper Richardson 7 (14 att, 2 err, .357); Lillian Ross 4 (10 att, .300); Mckenzie Davis 2; Ellie Delp 1; Lauren English 1 (.200); Libby Huisinga 1 (2 att, .500)

ASSISTS: Lillian Ross 6; Harper Richardson 4; Ali Sheets 3; Mckenzie Davis 2; Lauren English 1

SERVING: Lauren English 2 aces (12 SA, 1 SE, 91.7%, 7 pts); Harper Richardson 3 aces (10 SA, 0 SE, 100%, 6 pts); Ali Sheets 1 ace (10 SA, 1 SE, 90.0%, 7 pts); Lillian Ross (6 SA, 100%, 2 pts); Mckenzie Davis (7 SA, 2 SE, 3 pts); Ellie Delp (3 SA, 1 SE)

BLOCKING: Harper Richardson 4 total (3 solo, 1 assist); Libby Huisinga 2 assists; Lillian Ross 1 assist

DIGS: Ali Sheets 7; Lauren English 4; Ellie Delp 3; Harper Richardson 3; Lillian Ross 3; Mckenzie Davis 3; Nya Engledow 2; Libby Huisinga 2

SERVE RECEIVE: Lauren English 9; Ali Sheets 9 (2 err); Ellie Delp 6; Nya Engledow 3; Harper Richardson 3; Mckenzie Davis 3; Lillian Ross 2

RICHLAND COUNTY

KILLS: Naleigha Harrison 6 (24 att, 7 err, -.042); Savannah Cycholl 6 (13 att, 2 err, .308); Addysen Gray 3 (16 att, 4 err); Parker Shawver 2 (2 att, 1.000); Kaitlin Kocher 2 (3 att, .667); Kenley Runyon 1 (7 att)

ASSISTS: Madison Farmer 8; Brooklynn Beard 5; Parker Shawver 2; Brianna Beard 1; Addysen Gray 1; Marlee Brown 1

SERVING: Savannah Cycholl 2 aces (10 SA, 0 SE, 100%); Madison Farmer 1 ace (3 SA, 100%); Brooklynn Beard (9 SA, 100%); Addysen Gray (4 SA, 1 SE); Marlee Brown (4 SA, 1 SE); Brianna Beard (3 SA, 1 SE)

BLOCKING: Brianna Beard 2 total (1 solo, 1 assist); Naleigha Harrison 1 assist

DIGS: Parker Shawver 10; Addysen Gray 6; Naleigha Harrison 5; Brooklynn Beard 4; Brianna Beard 4; Savannah Cycholl 2; Vivian Schlick 1; Cailyn Wilson 1; Madison Farmer 1; Kaitlin Kocher 1; Marlee Brown 1

SERVE RECEIVE: Parker Shawver 12 (0 err); Addysen Gray 7 (1 err); Marlee Brown 6; Madison Farmer 3; Naleigha Harrison 3 (1 err); Savannah Cycholl 3; Bailey Rennier 2 (1 err); Brooklynn Beard 2