Marshall and Newton have been undefeated Little Illini Conference volleyball front-runners for the last couple of weeks.

That is about to change.

First-place Marshall (4-0 in LIC games, 17-6 overall) heads to Newton (3-0, 20-2) on Thursday night with first-place in the LIC on the line. That’s assuming Newton is still undefeated  by then. The Eagles must first win at Mt. Carmel (1-4, 5-13) on Tuesday.

Lawrenceville is still in the title hunt, sitting in third place with a 4-1 league mark. But, a 2-1 loss to Newton on Sept. 24 means the Indians will need a little help from Marshall – or Mt. Carmel – to get back into the picture. Lawrenceville also has a conference date with Marshall on Oct. 22, though they did beat the Lions in a non-conference setting, 2-1,on Sept. 5.

Newton is still ranked among the state’s best. The Eagles are No. 7 in the latest Massey rating of Class 2A teams, and are ranked eighth in the most recent Illinois Prep Volleyball poll. Casey-Westfield (3-2, 15-9) received votes in the latter’s Class 1A poll, but just missed a Top Ten ranking.

This is the second and final doubleheader week of LIC games this season. Here’s the lineup: Note: x-denotes conference game.

Tuesday
x-Olney (1-2, 9-14) at Paris (0-3, 17-7)
x-Newton (3-0, 20-2) at Mt. Carmel (1-4, 5-13)
x-Robinson (0-4, 11-9) at Lawrenceville (4-1, 20-5)
Casey-Westfield (15-9) at Cisne (17-5)
Red Hill (1-12) at Marshall (17-6)

Thursday
x-Marshall (4-0, 17-6) at Newton (3-0, 20-2)
x-Paris (0-3, 17-7) at Mt. Carmel (1-4, 5-13)
x-Olney (1-2, 9-14) at Robinson (0-4, 11-9)
Lawrenceville (20-5) at Vincennes Rivet (9-14)

After this week, only two more nights of LIC play remain: Oct. 15 and Oct. 22

LITTLE ILLINI CONFERENCE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Gathered from Max Preps (Note: Not all LIC teams are reporting stats.)

Hitting Pct.: 1. Lillian Ross, Marshall .395, 2. Claire Probst, Newton .291, 3. Stella Schackmann, Newton .280, 4. Harper Richardson, Marshall .276, 5. Kailey Young, Paris .270.
Kills: 1 Harper Richardson, Marshall 228, 2. Lillian Ross, Marshall 194, 3. Sadie Sallee, Paris 170, 4. Layla Thomann, Newton 153, 5. Bria Waggoner, Lawrenceville 149.
Assists: 1. Kailey Young, Paris 494, 2. Jossie Stanley, Newton 413, 3. Sicily Rawlings, Robinson 282, 4. Lillian Ross, Marshall 244, 5. Sienna Ivers, Lawrenceville 237.
Serving Aces: 1. Harper Richardson, Marshall 44, 2. Lillian Ross, Marshall 40, 3. Sara Staley, Paris 39, T4. Kailey Young, Paris 36, T4. Bria Waggoner, Lawrenceville 36.
Blocks: 1. Lillian Ross, Marshall 48, 2. Bria Waggoner, Lawrenceville 38, 3. Naleigha Harrison, Olney 34, 4. Claire Probst, Newton 33, 5. Pailynne Camp, Paris 29.
Digs: 1. Sara Staley, Paris 261, 2. Ali Sheets, Marshall 211, 3. Allie Hermann, Newton 209, 4. Macy Root, Lawrenceville
187, 5. Lillian Ross, Marshall 172.