La Conner's Marble family a volleyball dynasty

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Thirteen years ago La Conner High head volleyball coach Suzanne Marble brought an undefeated team into the state 2B tournament and won the championship.

One of the key players for La Conner then was a Marble daughter.

Carlee Marble Daub was an intense, dynamic setter who would earn All-State recognition three times for the Lady Braves and then become a four-year starter at Central Washington University.

Her debut in the CWU starting lineup, a match in which Carlee recorded 49 assists, was duly reported in the Seattle Times sports section.

Fast forward to 2019 and once again coach Marble led an unbeaten La Conner team into the state playoffs.

And, once again, the Lady Braves and a Marble daughter came away with the title.

Freshman Ellie Marble filled the stat sheet in Yakima for a deep and talented La Conner team which cruised through four matches, losing just a single set en route to securing the program’s fifth crown.

From halfway across the country, Carlee manages to keep tabs on the La Conner volleyball team.

Her scouting report on younger sister Ellie is glowing.

“She’s a more diverse athlete than I was,” says Carlee, widely considered one of the best setters to play at La Conner. “Ellie can do it all – hit, pass, set and serve.”

Carlee isn’t surprised the Lady Braves have maintained their high level of excellence for over two decades.

The common thread, after all, has been the head coach, their mom. Since Carlee’s playing days, her mother has guided La Conner to three more state championships and been inducted into the Washington state coaches hall of fame.

“She instills a work ethic in her athletes that’s unmatched,” Carlee explains. “You may not be the best athlete but she’s going to get the best of the athlete that you are.

“She’s the real deal,” adds Carlee, “and a legend in the volleyball world. She makes a difference in young women’s lives year in and year out through her volleyball program.”

The next few years should continue to be successful for both Suzanne and Ellie Marble, Carlee predicts.

“I hope they win four state championships as a mother-daughter duo,” Carlee says. “I believe they will.”

Today Carlee is co-owner of WAHOO! RUNNING, which provides coaching and other tools necessary for runners around the country to network with one another and increase their speed and strength.

She and her husband, Bryce, reside in Norman, Oklahoma and last year gained national attention when Runner’s World magazine highlighted their two daughters dressed for Halloween as Olympian and 2017 New York City Marathon winner Shalane Flanagan.

The skills she developed playing La Conner volleyball are those Carlee says she employs today in the business world.

“Work ethic, teamwork and community-building to name a few,” she says.