There’s still more than a hint of disbelief in Chesterton senior Marissa Roe’s mind.

The numbers continue to suggest the 6-foot-1 middle blocker is among the best at her position in Northwest Indiana and even the state. But Roe hasn’t grasped that yet.

“No, absolutely not,” she said. “Sometimes I can’t comprehend it because my name’s actually out there now. It’s crazy.”

The numbers don’t lie, however. Roe, who is in the middle of her third varsity season as the central figure in Chesterton’s defense at the net, had a team-high 62 blocks going into a Duneland Athletic Conference match against Crown Point on Thursday.

That was the third-most blocks in the state, according to MaxPreps. That was news to Roe.

“My teammates told me about it,” she said. “I don’t like to check because sometimes it gets in my head.”

Chesterton coach Lindsay Nibert said Roe can be prone to overanalysis.

“Sometimes we just have to remind her to go play,” Nibert said.

But Nibert added that Roe’s grasp of the game is central to her success for the Trojans (9-6, 2-2).

“We’ve put in a lot of work last season and this season on her being able to read the other side of the court, and that’s been a huge factor,” Nibert said. “She’s trusting what she’s reading and seeing with her eyes, making her able to identify which direction she should be going, and that’s helped her have a lot of success.”

Chesterton junior right-side hitter Brooke Williams said Roe doesn’t dwell on errors.

“She can get in her own head sometimes, but that’s because she’s so focused on what she’s doing,” Williams said. “If she makes a mistake, she’ll fix it right away and come right back on the next play. That’s why she’s such a great blocker.”

Roe, who started playing volleyball in fourth grade, was inspired by her aunt Ariane Mahaffey, a 2013 Chesterton graduate who later played at Defiance. Roe’s interest in the sport coincided with a rapid growth spurt while she was in middle school. She was 5-11 by the end of eighth grade.

Two years later, Roe led the conference with 80 blocks during her sophomore season, and she ranked second in the conference with 98 last year.

But Roe is racking up blocks at a much higher rate this season, averaging 4.4 per match, up from 2.9. She doesn’t want to slow down.

“It’s made me think that I have to keep this up,” she said. “I have to keep working hard so I can keep getting those blocks.”

Roe also ranked third on the team with 58 kills through Wednesday, giving Chesterton an attack option in addition to the duo of junior outside hitter Tenley Davis, who had a team-high 167 kills, and sophomore outside hitter Luca Bombacino, who had 115 kills.

That’s not Roe’s focus, though. She may need more time to grasp how far she has come in the sport, but she doesn’t need any time to pick her favorite way to score a point.

“Definitely a good block,” she said.

Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.