The Marshall High School volleyball teams traveled on the road to Effingham to take on the St. Anthony High School Bulldogs in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday, September 18th. The Lions entered the contest with a record of 12-5, coming into the match after a straight set victory over Martinsville on Tuesday night. The 12th win by the Lions this season matched last year’s win total for the entire season, so with the calendar still in the middle of September, this year’s squad is hoping for a marked improvement over the past three years’ results (10, 14, and 12 wins respectively).
St. Anthony, whose two losses this season came at the hands of Effingham, a school with an enrollment four times larger than its neighbor, and Edwards County, which is currently ranked third in the state in Class 1A. The Bulldogs came into the match ranked inside the Top 20 in Class 2A at #19, and they entered this contest on a three-match winning streak during which they did not lose a set, winning each set by an average score of 25-10.
From the onset, Marshall seemed out of sync and experienced trouble with the length and speed of St. Anthony. The Lions never dictated the pace of play, and the Bulldogs sped the Lions up to play faster than they ordinarily do. In the first set, St. Anthony ambushed the Lions from the first serve to jump out to a 9-0 lead before Marshall scored on a side out. Kills by Lilly Ross and Harper Richardson, combined with a block for a point by Lilly Ross and McKenzie Davis at the net kept the Lions on pace through the middle of the set.
Later in the action, Marshall got kills from McKenzie Davis and Ella Mattas, but the Lions couldn’t put a dent in the Bulldogs’ lead the home squad built in the beginning of the match. Ella Mattas scored with another kill, then she followed up by serving an ace. Down the stretch, though, St. Anthony took advantage of their striking ability, and the Bulldogs took the first set by the score of 25-10.
Set #2 began identically like the first set as St. Anthony ran out to a 7-0 lead to start the set. Both sides traded points two for one in favor of the home team the rest of the way, and the Bulldogs came away with the match by winning the second set 25-12 to sweep the match two sets to none. Scoring for Marshall in the second set were Harper Richardson and Avery Cornwell combining on a block for a point, Lilly Ross with a tip winner, kills by Richardson and Cornwell, a tip winner by Richardson, and a kill by Anna Daugherty.
In the junior varsity match preceding the varsity contest, Marshall’s JV squad gave the undefeated JV Bulldogs everything they had in the first set as the Lions matched the vaunted St. Anthony side point for point. Fantastic play at the net by McKenzie Davis, Lilly Ross, Aubrey Shaffer, and Olivia Strohm helped the Lions keep the Bulldog hitters off-balance, and the back line consisting of Nya Engledow, Ali Sheets, Lexi Mason, and Lauren Richards had many nice digs, saves, and passes.
St. Anthony held a 9-5 lead in the first set before the Lions scored 9 unanswered points to take a 14-9 lead, shocking the home team and fans looking for a rout. In the early stages of the match, Marshall got a kill from Olivia Strohm, a kill by Lilly Ross, and a combo block for a point by Ross and Nya Engledow. Kills by Engledow, Lauren Richards, and McKenzie Davis kept the five-point lead to make the score 18-13, then Lilly Ross served an ace to give the Lions their largest lead of the match at 19-13.
Another kill by McKenzie Davis kept the Lions in the lead, but St. Anthony outscored Marshall 9-3 to tie the match at 22. The Lions got the next point when Lauren Richards tipped a winner over the net, making the score 23-22 in Marshall’s favor. Richards’ point, however, was the last point of the set for the Lions. St. Anthony scored three consecutive points to win the first set by the score of 25-23.
The second set of the junior varsity match was competitive early, but St. Anthony closed out the set with a 15-3 run to win by the score of 25-8, taking the match two sets to none. Scoring for Marshall in Set #2 were McKenzie Davis (kill), Olivia Strohm (block for a point), and Lauren Richards (block for a point and a tip winner).
With the win in the varsity match, St. Anthony improved their season record to 9-2, while Marshall now stands at 12-6. The Lions return to action next Monday night when they host St. Joeseph-Ogden inside McNary Gymnasium. The junior varsity match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM, with the varsity match to follow.