The Illini volleyball community lost one of its stars last spring when Tracey Marshall passed away unexpectedly. Marshall was an outside hitter under former head coach Don Hardin and played at Illinois from 1996-1999.

On Sunday afternoon, Marshall's family, former teammates and Hardin recognized her before the Illini's match and dedicated a plaque that will be hung up in Huff Hall in her honor. 

Cristy Chapman, Marshall's locker neighbor in college, organized the recognition. Chapman and her Illini teammates collectively designed the plaque that will forever symbolize Marshall's legacy.

"I don't think people realize, unless you're an athlete, what it is to lose a teammate, especially when it was so sudden," Chapman said. "And I think you also realize the importance of your time here at Illinois, and just the memories you have and the sisterhood that actually happens in those short four years that actually last a lifetime."

Marshall was much more than an Illinois volleyball alumna. She was a trailblazer and a leader that helped the Illini to two NCAA appearances while earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors as an outside hitter.

Any person that knew Marshall on the court would describe her as competitive. Chapman said that Marshall's focus and drive spread to the entire team and gave them something to rally behind.

Hardin was also an admirer of Marshall's competitiveness as he believes the joy she had for the game has never been more apparent in a player.

"Tracey, more than anything, taught me and all of us really, the lesson of perseverance," Hardin said. "And she just had a tenacious way of continuing to come back at any challenges and obstacles that were in our way or that were in her way. She would back up and go at it again, like nobody's business. And it was infectious. She's also somebody that I would say that when the ball was in the air, she was joyous. Her happiest moments were when the ball was in the air and that's infectious as well. She just loved to compete and led the way in that regard, just with her competitive attitude. And she was part of a series of teams that really embodied that kind of competitiveness and work ethic. They were remarkable. So she really symbolizes a lot of that."

Marshall was also the program's first documented African-American scholarship player, leading the way for many Illini volleyball players after her. After she graduated, Marshall would often reach out to younger African-American athletes at Illinois to lend her help if they ever needed it.

Off the court, Marshall was quiet, but a great, loyal friend. Melissa Beitz Richardson, who was Marshall's setter all four years, came to Illinois in the same recruiting class as Marshall. Richardson and Marshall spent a lot of time together due to their positions and formed an unbreakable bond as friends. Richardson said Marshall was a big part of her personal growth in college.

"I sat with her in this gym on a recruiting visit when we were like 17 years old," Richardson said. "And then I sat with her after our very last match in the locker room at the University of Florida after we lost in the NCAA tournament [as seniors]. And to think about the growth in me and in her, in all of us in our class, certainly over those years is incredible. Personally, outside of volleyball, and also in volleyball, she took care of the people around her. She was fiercely loyal, and protective of all of us."

While the current Illinois volleyball team never got the chance to know Marshall personally, her teammates shared what she meant to them and the program over the weekend.

Head coach Chris Tamas was honored to help recognize Marshall and wanted his team to see the importance of growing with each other off the court.

"We talk a lot about having an impact beyond what happens here on the court," Tamas said. "And we always say in the moment, you're going to be really concerned about the wins and the losses and the moment that you're in in your life. And for that age range, a lot of it is just based on the results on the court. But we try to tell them that life's bigger than that, and that you go much beyond your moment on the court. You're teammates for life. And so, we wanted to hang something in the locker room that her teammates came up with to show that that's what we're about too and that it's just about the Illini family and taking care of one another."

After playing at Illinois, Marshall went on to play professionally before starting her coaching career. As a Bolingbrook native, Marshall stayed close to home and formerly coached volleyball at Plainfield North and Hinsdale Central. Some former players and coaches of Marshall were also in attendance on Sunday.

While Marshall's teammates were grateful to be able to honor Marshall in Huff Hall, having the plaque hang up in the gym and in the team's locker room is important for Marshall's legacy. Her teammates want her to be remembered as a fierce competitor, strong leader and a loyal friend.

"It means a lot about what we want for Illinois volleyball, what we want for legacy," Richardson said. "Tracey is a big part of that. And because she's the first African American that went through the program and because she rocked it, because she didn't just show up, she contributed, and she changed the direction of the program during her years here. So, I want people to know that, and it was important to me. I'm an Illinois girl, so I knew about this program before I came here. That's not true of everybody. So, if somebody comes in and sees this history, like a physical thing that represents the history, that's going to mean something. That this program is more than just the years that you're here. This program is many, many people who came before you and had the same mission and vision and passion that you do. And there's some really strong roots that feel so special when you can apply that to your years here at Illinois."