Already committed to Northern Illinois, Marley could have just rested on her laurels, coasted into an easy gig on a middling club team, and called it a day. Nope, not her. How about we learn how to attack in a fast offense as a pin attacker? And learn from scratch? This kid continues to amaze me in her athleticism, willingness to be coached into new adventures and her adaptation to constant improvement. Yes, it will take some time for her arm swing and approach to make a slight adjustment now that she’s not in the middle any more. But if this Sunday is any indication of her future, she’ll be fine. If anything, learning another position from scratch is SUPPOSED to be difficult, and she’s learning on the fly, scoring points at an 18s open level and (almost) making it look natural. Not bad, kiddo.

A transfer from Mooresville, Marley has burst onto the high school scene surrounded by skilled players and an exceptional setter to boot. She’s the complete package—-athletic, long, strong and smart. She’s also able to be an M1 or an M2 at the next level right now, and is one of the top middles available in this class. She can do it all, and does it at an open level. Part of the roster propelling Plainfield to their best year in recent memory, Marley is a main reason for the Quakers success this fall—-and next.

Surprise #1 for this author was seeing Marley playing for Plainfield last night. She’s a Mooresville transfer, and immediately makes the Quakers better in the middle upon arrival. Springy and smart, Marley is a force off of two feet and can take over a match when allowed to do so. Her skill set definitely stands out now that she’s got more club-focused kids around her, and she shouldn’t be asked to be the focal point of the offense, what with Miss Utterback on the left pin next to her. This is a HUGE move for Plainfield, and should make a big difference as the setters get used to having this level of size in the middle. You can guarantee that Plainfield will surpass the 12 wins they had last fall just by having Marley on the floor.

Long, lean and springy, Marley is a raw and strong athlete that hits the ball with a different sound than most attackers in this class. Her disadvantage is that she’s not at a strong volleyball high school. This leads me to believe that whomever picks her up will have the steal of the class in her athleticism, high volleyball acuity and exceptional club training.