Daily Journal Volleyball Player of the Year: SHP’s Isabelle Marco

Looks can be deceiving though.

“I actually hated [swimming],” Marco said. “I would cry before I would have to go to (swimming) practice.”

Marco quickly learned her destiny was on the volleyball court.

While each of her three brothers would go from the SHP water polo ranks to the NCAA Division I stage at Pepperdine University, Marco navigated a path to volleyball greatness. Emerging last year as a sophomore setter, she worked in the Gators’ two-setter system in tandem with Millie Muir — herself now a Division I athlete at Duke University — and quickly developed into an all-around weapon.

“She’s the same kid now, just an ‘X’ amount of years later — just a stud,” SHP head coach Ali Magner said. “She just moves the room when she walks in because she’s just a game-changer. … She’s just a presence and a force to be reckoned with.”

That force to be reckoned with elevated SHP to an epic season.

Marco thrived this season, scoring as many kills as ones she created for her teammates. The junior led the Gators in scoring (4.7 kills per set) and assists (4.6 assists per set), while ranking second in blocks and service aces, and third in digs. Her ability to pilot an even more sophisticated three-setter rotation — along with fellow juniors Jill Amaro and Ericka Maas — was the catalyst in SHP claiming its first West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division championship since 2012, the team’s first undefeated record in WBAL play ever, and trips to the Central Coast Section Open Division and CIF State Volleyball Championships Open Division tournaments.

Now, in addition to Marco earning WBAL Foothill Division Most Valuable Player honors, she has been named Daily Journal Volleyball Player of the Year.

“There’s an incredible feeling you get as a coach and a member of a team that doesn’t come around often, if ever in your career,” said Magner, who coached her first WBAL championship team this season after taking over the SHP program in 2014. “And I know ... every member is critical to that outcome. And Isabelle Marco is, I just don’t even know how to say it, she’s just the ultimate competitor.”

While Marco hated swimming, she acquired much of her competitive drive from it. Specifically, from watching her brothers succeed in the pool.

In 2019, the Pepperdine men’s water polo team qualified for the NCAA Championships tournament for the first time in 22 years. The Waves were anchored by Marco’s brother Jon Claude, an All-Golden Coast Conference goalkeeper as a senior, and brother Xavier, who was a freshman driver on the team.

The Waves advanced to the second round of the NCAA tourney. This had quite a ripple effect on Marco.

“Yeah, it definitely was,” Marco said. “Water polo is super different than volleyball, but definitely the commitment level of being a Division I athlete, I’ve witnessed it … and it’s something I want to do.

“That was just such a special moment for my family,” she said. “And seeing them win and move on to the NCAA tournament was just like super cool to me.”

Marco is a natural setter, the position she plays fulltime with her Academy Volleyball Club team. At SHP, however, she was asked to do so much more. Refining six-rotation skills with premium defense and service chops is always beneficial to a setter. But to become a premium attacker is an exception to the rule.

SHP’s depth at the setter position allowed Marco to do just that. Last season, the one-two punch of Muir and Marco rotated at opposite hitter, attacking off the right side, and effectively so. This year, though, Marco pivoted as a setter to attack off the left side, and flourished.

“I love to learn, try new things,” Marco said. “But specifically in volleyball, I wanted to overall just get better in my game. … I think it was just me trying to develop more and more skills, and then it worked out the way I wanted it to.”

Marco got a shock to start the season when SHP opened its summer workouts with swimming drills. But, much like her athletics path throughout her life, it was the start of something special.

Opening the WBAL schedule with a three-set sweep over rival Menlo School, the Gators went on to win their final 17 regular-season matches. The streak included two more wins over their archrivals, including in Menlo’s host Chris Chandler Volleyball Invitational, and the final win in league play at Menlo.

The Gators went on to reach the CCS Open Division semifinals, the only non-West Catholic Athletic League team to reach the final four. Despite the Open Division tournament being an excruciating draw — eventual champion St. Francis-Mountain View and runner-up Mitty both finished the year ranked top 10 in the state — Marco said it was worth it.

“Yeah, I think we just wanted to win everything,” Marco said. “We were competitive. We wanted to go as far as we could … and even though we didn’t achieve it physically, or get the trophy, emotionally I think we were all proud about how far we had come.”