Volleyball outlook: Emerald Ridge's Marshall a gem

PUYALLUP — Kylie Marshall's first love in sports was golf, but it offered too much solitude.

After devoting herself to that sport from age 5 to 13, Marshall wanted to be part of a team. So she took a swing at a different sport by turning her focus to volleyball.

It has been the best decision of her life.

Marshall, an outside hitter who can play any position, gives the Emerald Ridge High School volleyball team a chance to win the Class 4A state championship and keeps the flow of college-bound talent coming from Puyallup.

Golf has been relegated to a blast from the past for Marshall.

"Golf was my first love, but I decided to stop playing golf when I was getting into volleyball," Marshall said. "I was playing solo for myself for so long. I went to the golf range by myself. Volleyball is such a different sport. There's so much more communication.

"I wanted the teammate camaraderie and the feeling of working together."

The 6-foot Marshall, who began club volleyball in sixth grade, follows in the footsteps of State Gatorade Player of the Year Christal Morrison, now a sophomore at UW, as a top-caliber volleyball recruit from Puyallup. Marshall has made a verbal commitment to play at Tennessee.

Marshall and 5-11 middle blocker Emily Powell, along with Bethel transfer Kelli Skiem, give the Jaguars a solid chance to upend defending Class 4A champion Mead of Spokane. Eisenhower of Yakima, last year's runner-up, also is considered a title favorite.

Marshall, who played on the USA Girls Youth National Team in 2004 and narrowly missed in 2005, prides herself in being an all-around player who can play any position well.

"She could be the No. 1 recruit throughout the state of Washington," Emerald Ridge coach Tanya Campbell said of Marshall, who is ranked among the top 18 high-school seniors in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. "She can't wait to go to college and play. She's incredible. I don't even have to coach her in high school. She knows what she's doing."

Marshall, who has a 4.0 grade-point average, enters her third season as a team captain and twice has been a first-team South Puget Sound League South Division all-star.

The burgeoning volleyball talent in the Seattle area has helped build the University of Washington into one of the nation's top programs, drawing players such as Morrison, Kentlake's Courtney Thompson and Jill Collymore of Seattle's Bush School. But Marshall says her decision to go to Tennessee came down to how the Volunteers' program made her feel.

"No matter where I'm at for college, I'm only going to come home three times anyway ... " said Marshall, who chose Tennessee over Long Beach State, Arizona, UCLA and Stanford. "I just felt more comfortable and at home with the coaches and girls I met there. The atmosphere appealed to me a little more."

Her coach at Emerald Ridge offered another possible reason.

"UW has seven outside hitters there right now, and I think Kylie wanted to go somewhere where she knew she could play and not have to share time," Campbell said. "It's tough to go in there and be sitting."

Marshall, who has a 30-inch vertical leap and plays club volleyball for Kent Juniors, probably will own many season and career school records before she finishes.

In 2004, she had 369 kills, 73 service aces, 36 solo blocks and 310 digs and added a .321 hitting percentage and a .910 serve percentage. Heading into the third season of her high-school career, she has totals of 734 kills, 122 service aces, 65 solo blocks and 557 digs for the Jaguars.

Although Marshall was the last player cut from the 2005 USA Girls Youth National team, she chooses to remember the experience of winning the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2004 with the team.

"When we won the gold medal and we're hearing people chant, 'USA! USA!' That was such an amazing high," Marshall said. "It's the most memorable event of my life so far. It was amazing. Wearing USA on your back is an amazing feeling. Just being able to represent your country in a sport is amazing."

Thanks to switching sports, Marshall hopes there will be many more amazing experiences to come.