Holding A Pair Of Aces Morrisette, Blackshire Make Ferris Good Bet

The Mother Hen sets to the Pun Master.

The Californian takes a pass from the Minnesotan.

Get ready for what could be the finest season in Ferris volleyball history.

Leading the way will be a pair of 5-foot-10 seniors who appear to have an equal share of similarities and differences.

Missy Blackshire and Janelle Morrisette connect as well as any duo in the Greater Spokane League. Morrisette, emphasis on the “set,” places the ball in perfect position for another thunderous kill by Blackshire, one of the country’s coveted players who is already sewed up by Washington State University.

The team jokester Blackshire, the team maternal protector Morrisette and classmate Amy George (a top prize in upcoming basketball recruiting) have played together since their sophomore years.

Fate decreed that Blackshire and Morrisette would converge in Spokane, hundreds of miles from their birthplaces.

Morrisette was born in Minnesota, where her Swedish and Norwegian relatives settled and still mainly reside. Her family moved to Spokane when she was 6. Her father has since relocated to Minnesota. Her older sister, Jayme, plays basketball with Montana State.

“I like (volleyball) better,” said Morrisette, who nevertheless plays basketball. “I believe you have to think more. My sister would beg to differ.”

Blackshire grew up in Laguna Beach, Calif., and moved to Spokane about eight years ago when her mother was hired to manage at Nordstrom. Her father, a massivelybuilt 6-5, played basketball for the University of Hawaii and lives in Southern California. Younger sister Megan, in eighth-grade, flashes Missy’s skills in volleyball and running, and also plays basketball.

Blackshire enrolled at Adams Elementary, where Morrisette and George attended, but switched to Moran Prairie before playing sports with the other two.

When Ferris coach Stacey Ward watched the three playing for her U-12 club team, the River City Ripples, Blackshire’s hand/eye coordination hadn’t developed.

“I would have never picked Missy as the big-time player out of that group,” said Ward, who in seven previous years has taken Ferris to third-, sixth- and seventh-place finishes at the state tournament.

But Ward’s husband Keith, the new Whitworth College baseball coach, studied Blackshire a year later and labeled her a big prospect. “Nuts,” said Stacey Ward until she saw Blackshire the summer before her ninth-grade year. Blackshire made varsity as a freshman.

“By my sophomore year I was ready to come in and make a big contribution to the team,” Blackshire said.

That’s when Morrisette (and George) joined in the fun. Morrisette had become a hitter during eighth-grade, yet despite her size, Ward never wanted her for anything but a setter.

Ward said Morrisette has the perfect setter’s temperament, usually willing to take the blame when a play goes afoul.

Morrisette is also a 4.0 student who prides herself on organizational abilities. Blackshire, also a solid student interested in law, prefers more of a take-it-as-it-comes style.

Blackshire orally committed to WSU on Aug. 20, rather than extending the recruiting process. Kansas State, the alma mater of Ward’s father Jack Shagool, hopes to scout Morrisette in October.

“(Morrisette) had a 30 composite ACT score, which I think is the highest you can get,” Ward said. “That’s every coach’s dream, a kid they won’t have to worry about academically.”

Blackshire, the two-time defending state champion in the 800 meters, said she will skip track and field this year to concentrate on volleyball.

Ferris, with at least four other hitters to support Blackshire, should be among the mix of state-title contenders. The Saxons were riding high last year until a third-place finish at region and Blackshire’s subsequent removal from state play for breaking the school’s athletic code.

“I didn’t feel that bad for myself, more for the team,” Blackshire said. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GSL VOLLEYBALL League openers: Tuesday - Ferris at Central Valley; North Central at Mt. Spokane; Rogers at Mead. Wednesday - Gonzaga Prep at NC; Lewis and Clark at Ferris; Mt. Spokane at Shadle Park; and University at Rogers. New member, new format: With the addition of Mt. Spokane, each team will play 18 league matches instead of 16. Six teams still advance to district, starting Oct. 30 at Mt. Spokane. Defending champions: League and district - Ferris. Region - Mead. Mead placed third at state, Ferris sixth. All-league returners: First team - Missy Blackshire and Janelle Morrisette, Ferris; Erin Naipo, LC. Second team - Staci Schuerman, Mead; Michelle Etter, Shadle. New coach: Bridget Monahan, Mt. Spokane. Projected finish: Ferris, LC, Mead, Shadle, G-Prep, Rogers, U-Hi, CV, NC, Mt. Spokane.