Marist sophomore Bella Bullington loves putting a ball down for a kill.
But a good serve receive? A dig or a block? Handing out an assist? Landing an ace?
She’s all in.
“I try to get touches on everything I can,” Bullington said. “I want to just better the ball for my teammates, so we can get the cleanest plays we possibly can.
“Even on my serves, sometimes they aren’t going to be aces. But if we can just get the other team out of system, that can really help us score the point.”
Bullington made an imprint across the board Tuesday night as the host RedHawks beat Marian Catholic 25-13, 25-9 in an East Suburban Catholic Conference match.
Princeton commit Kamryn Chaney chalked up 10 kills, two blocks and four aces for Marist (6-2, 1-0). Elise Ward added eight kills, while Maddie Berry contributed 18 assists.
Cassandra Cross led Marian Catholic (1-7, 0-1) with five kills. Mila Popovic added 14 digs.
Bullington, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, started the match in the back row. Her first serve receive led to the RedHawks’ first point.
From there, it was simply a matter of contributing from wherever she rotated.
Her first turn in the front row resulted in two kills and two blocks. For the rest of Game 1, she was a mainstay on defense.
“I really like playing in the back row,” Bullington said. “Getting balls up and the effort that goes into defense is really fun for me. If you have that kind of mindset and not just think about hitting the whole time, that helps make you a more well-rounded player.”
The RedHawks led just 8-6 in Game 2 when Bullington went to the service line and delivered an ace. It started a string of six straight points. During her final turn in the front row, she put down two kills and ended the match with a block for point.
The final tally was eye-opening. She finished with seven kills, eight digs, four blocks, five assists, 11 good serve receives and two aces.
A good night? A typical night, according to Marist coach Jordan Vidovic.
“It’s really reflective of how much she’s grown,” Vidovic said. “She is so much more comfortable taking responsibility all across the court. Last year, she was really focused as a hitter and just really taking everything in.
“Now she’s so determined to be that all-around player. She uses her size as a back row player and a front row player. She uses her length — long arms and long legs — to cover a lot of ground in the back and be super effective in the front. We’re seeing a lot more versatility.”
The impact is starting to show beyond the numbers.
“Bella is a leader now,” Vidovic said. “She’s becoming a ‘hold other people to a high standard’ kind of player. She’s taken a lot from Elise Ward in that regard.
“Elise’s toughness, I think, leads the way for us. And Bella has taken that additional role of holding people accountable and making sure we’re doing things the right way.”
Bullington has 42 kills this season, third on the team behind Chaney and Ward. She’s second behind Ward with 43 digs.
Last fall, she was the first freshman in program history to earn all-conference honors.
“I didn’t picture coming into Marist and having that happen,” Bullington said. “Being on varsity was a super shock to me. Being able to play was insane.
“And then, it just really helped me grow, learning from older girls and trying to work what they know into my game.”
They notice. And they like it.
“I love Bella,” Chaney said. “She’s very competitive, a really sweet person in general. She’s very team oriented, a great team player. She’s all-around amazing. I’m really proud of her.”
