Ellie Marble is state girls' 2B senior athlete of year

A major sports website has confirmed what La Conner fans have known for months.

That being Ellie Marble, who just graduated from La Conner High School and will attend Central Washington University on a volleyball scholarship in the fall, was the best girls' 2B senior athlete in the state this past year.

Marble, who played in a combined six volleyball and basketball state tournaments – it likely would have been eight had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic – has been named the SBLive WaFd Bank Class 2B Senior Athlete of the Year.

Marble, also a National Honor Society student, was a state qualifier in track-and-field as well.

Her ability to excel across the sports spectrum made Marble an obvious choice for the SBLive selection team.

As a 6-foot tall outside hitter, Marble collected her fourth consecutive NW1B/2B Most Valuable Player award as a senior.

Playing for her mom, retiring state Hall of Fame coach Suzanne Marble, she delivered 497 kills and 554 digs and served at a .942 clip during the 2022-23 campaign. After helping secure the school's seventh state volleyball crown, she was voted Washington's 2B Player of the Year for a third time.

As a freshman, Marble played a key role on La Conner's 2019 title run. There was no 2020 state tourney due to the pandemic. La Conner won the 2021 state championship in dominating fashion, not dropping a single set.

Marble and her teammates defeated Colfax in the 2022 state net finals.

But Marble's senior year was far from complete. She seamlessly transitioned to the basketball court, averaging nearly 22 points, 11 rebounds and two steals per contest as La Conner placed fourth at state for the second straight season.

Marble clinched an all-state basketball nod by fueling a late comeback against Adna in the trophy round. She scored 22 of her 26 points in the second half as the team erased a double-digit deficit enroute to a 52-46 triumph.

At Central, Marble plans to major in either kinesiology or software development while competing for a program that finished 17-11 a year ago and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II West Region tournament.