FOLEY — Returning to the place where she grew up and played her high school ball, Troy senior middle hitter Ella Broadhead opened the Sun Belt Conference volleyball tournament on familiar ground.

The senior helped the Trojans open tournament play at the Foley Event Center with a 3-1 win over Marshall last Thursday. Broadhead played all four sets in the opening-round win, finishing with four kills, one assist and a block. She made an early impact, posting two kills and a block in the first set, the only frame the Trojans dropped before settling in and controlling the rest of the match.

"It was really cool, especially being from here," Broadhead said about playing in Foley. "I played a lot of club tournaments here. It's a really cool full circle moment to be able to play here and win. It was a really awesome fight from the whole team."

The return home also put her back in front of familiar faces from her days on the Eastern Shore — including her former head coach, the legendary Ann Schilling of Bayside Academy.

"Even my high school coach, Coach Schilling, was able to come here," Broadhead said. "It's super awesome that I was able to come and play and see all my friends and family."

Her path to the Sun Belt tournament began at Bayside, where she was a varsity standout starting in eighth grade. She finished her high school career with nearly 2,000 kills, more than 350 blocks and four-straight state championships from 2017 to 2020 across three classifications, earning multiple All-State and All-Tournament honors along the way.

Broadhead praised her former head coach and Bayside for preparing her for the next-level.

"She's amazing," Broadhead said of her former coach. "She's supported me, and I definitely would not have gotten here if she hadn't been my coach. I think that really prepared me, especially being in those trustful, high pressure situations playing in state that prepared me to play at the next level."

During the 2025 regular season, Broadhead appeared in 47 sets totaling 57 kills, 26 blocks and seven digs for Troy. After redshirting in 2022, she emerged into the rotation in 2023 and then totaled 76 sets during the 2024 season, leading the Trojans in total blocks and block assists.

In the midst of the postseason run, Broadhead soaked in every moment of being back on the Eastern Shore.

"I am just looking forward to being home and being close to the water," Broadhead said. "I love Troy, but I am excited not to be as landlocked."

After the opening round win, Troy would fall 3-1 in round 2 to the Sun Belt tournament runner-up, James Madison.