Lockport senior Mikayla Marshall never had a chance to practice at her new position on offense.
Senior right-side hitter Malia Cole suffered a season-ending finger injury Monday in practice. The lineup was adjusted Tuesday, with Marshall getting time at her natural position of outside hitter.
But Wednesday night, Marshall was thrust into the role of right-side hitter against Stagg in an important matchup of the final two unbeaten teams in the SouthWest Suburban Conference.
“It was a little awkward at first,” Marshall said. “Going from outside to right side feels really weird. But once I got into the rhythm, it was fun.”
As a result, the Porters had fun taking another step closer toward the conference championship. Marshall had nine kills and a solo block in a 25-16, 25-15 victory over the visiting Chargers.
Virginia recruit Kyla Mitchell also managed nine kills for Lockport (21-4, 6-0), while Hutsyn Timosciek added eight. Milwaukee commit Natalie Bochantin came up with 16 assists and Seton Hill-bound Malley Green added 10. Emma Consigny chalked up 13 digs.
Katy Zumerchik led Stagg (20-8, 4-1) with eight kills. Amelia Kadamus added four.
For the Porters, however, if anyone can relate to a position change, it’s Mitchell. She’s a natural middle hitter who’s now playing on the outside. She thought Marshall did great job adapting.
“We threw her out there (Wednesday) and she did amazing,” Mitchell said. “Just her ability to take any position and do the best you can with it is something you can’t find with a lot of athletes.”
Mitchell confirmed that she had never played outside before, but early in the season, she also switched spots when injuries caused coach Nick Mraz
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to move around pieces in his lineup.It took her a few weeks to reach a comfort level.
“Getting thrown into a new position is scary at first, but once you get it down, you get more confidence in yourself than you did,” Mitchell said. “For me, it was a big difference.
“But with the people who I am playing around and the training I’m getting in practice, it’s working pretty well and hopefully I can keep improving.”
The Porters are dealing with Cole’s absence, but help is on the way. Senior outside hitter Quinn Higham returned from an injury and had six kills against Stagg. Senior middle hitter Olivia Priest warmed up Wednesday and figures to be back next week, according to Mraz.
While it wasn’t ideal to throw Marshall into mix without a practice, Mraz had confidence in her.
“She’s played opposite in club before so it’s not really foreign to her,” Mraz said. “But for her to come out and do what she did with no errors — props to her for being thrown into the fire.”
The 5-foot-9 Marshall doesn’t plan on playing volleyball in college, but she’s hoping to help lead Lockport back to the Class 4A state finals. The past two years, the Porters took third place.
She picked up the sport in seventh grade thanks to a growth spurt.
“I was actually a gymnast for a while and I got too tall,” she said. “My mom said to play volleyball. I started growing in sixth grade and by seventh grade, I said, ‘I’m too tall for this. I’ll have to try something new.’’’
Although she won’t play at the next level, Marshall acknowledged how much she has loved volleyball over the past six years.
“Honestly, my favorite thing is the girls,” Marshall said. “I get to play with my best friends. It’s just a good time. I love these girls so much.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.