Marion Volleyball

Isabella Sade wins Metro Spotlight Award

Marion sophomore Isabella Sade has been named the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Sade, a 6-foot-1 hitter, played a prominent role for the Marion Indians as they reached the semifinals of the Class 4A state volleyball tournament last week.

She collected 14 kills, five blocks and two digs when the third-ranked Indians defeated Charles City, 3-1, in the opening round of the tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center on Tuesday. She had 18 kills, four blocks and two digs when the Indians pushed second-ranked West Delaware to the limit before losing in the semifinals, 3-2, on Thursday.

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Ollinger, Thomas, Torson named all-state

Amanda Ollinger of Jefferson, Alyssa Thomas of Marion and Kayla Torson of Xavier have been named to the all-state volleyball squads by the Des Moines Register.

Ollinger, a 6-foot-3 junior, was named first team all-state in Class 5A. She led Class 5A in kills with 532 and finished second overall in kills in the state. She also had 218 digs, 68 blocks and 28 ace serves.

Thomas, a 5-10 junior, was named first team all-state in Class 4A. She helped Marion reach the semifinals of the state tournament and finished the season with 367 kills, 89 digs and 49 blocks.

Torson, a 5-11 senior, was named second team all-state in Class 4A. She collected 338 kills, 325 digs, 48 blocks and 25 aces for Xavier. She will play college volleyball at Nebraska-Omaha.

Great comeback by Marion falls short

The Marion Indians staged one of the greatest comebacks in school history Thursday at the state volleyball tournament, but their terrific effort ended in tearful disappointment.

The Indians roared back from a 2-0 deficit against West Delaware in the semifinals of the Class 4A tournament and forced a fifth set, but the two-hour battle of Wamac Conference powers went to the visitors from Manchester.

West Delaware trimmed Marion, 25-22, 25-20, 24-26, 20-25, 15-9, to earn a date with Harlan in the finals Friday afternoon.

The Indians staved off match point in the third set and pushed West Delaware to the limit before retiring with a 34-8 record for the campaign.

"I'm really proud of the girls," said Marion Coach Roxanne Paulsen. "Any time you are down, it's easy to let it go. The girls didn't.

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Bys makes volleyball Hall of Fame

Marion High School graduate Angela Bys has been named to the Volleyball Hall of Fame by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.

Bys enjoyed a remarkable career at Marion High School and holds the career record for kills with 2,135, which ranked seventh all-time in the nation when she graduated in 2007.

Bys, a 6-foot-1 hitter, also set school records for aces (334), blocks (412) and digs (700) during her career with the Indians. She was named first team all-state as a junior and was honored on the elite all-state team as a senior.

Bys helped Marion reach the semifinals of the state tournament as a senior in 2006. She played volleyball at Drake, where she received her bachelor's degree, and received her master's degree in education from Viterbo University.

Bys is currently teaching in the Ankeny High School system and coached their freshman volleyball team this year. She was a member of the National Honor Society at Marion.