MARION & BEEBE --- The Marion Patriots got a good look at a raucous road crowd Tuesday night at Beebe’s Badger Sports Arena.
And they successfully navigated a potential trap game.
Marion kicked off a three-match week with a home non-conference victory on Monday night over Class 4A power Brookland (25-17, 17-25, 25-15, 25-14) in four sets, before jumping back into 5A East play on Tuesday evening with a tight three-set win at Beebe (25-19, 25-10, 27-25).
The Patriots improved to 13-1 overall so far in 2026 with a flawless 5-0 mark to date in the 5A East conference. Marion travels on Thursday to Batesville for a league contest before hosting Paragould on Tuesday, September 22, and traveling to Searcy on Thursday, September 24.
Marion hosted Brookland at 3M Transit Arena in an intriguing Monday night non-conference tilt between a pair of teams that had combined for just three losses so far this season.
The Patriots took control of the first set against Brookland when Kendall Brown posted back-to-back kills, followed by consecutive aces from Mallorie Sharp, the last of which gave the hosts a 15-9 lead and forced a Brookland timeout.
Marion took its first double-digit lead of the set (19-9) when Alli Sharp served the first of back-to-back aces, and the Pats cruised from there to an eight-point victory.
But Brookland responded in the second stanza, scoring eight straight points midway through the frame and leading by as many as nine before earning a 25-17 win of its own.
Set No. 3 was tight in the early going as the teams split the first 12 points, but Marion ripped off the first run when Brown logged a kill, followed by a Bren Sutton kill, which kicked off seven straight Patriot points.
Marlee Williams tallied a kill and a block during the run, and she capped the stretch off with an ace as Marion claimed a 16-9 lead, and Williams came up with kills for two of Marion’s final three points of the set for a 25-15 win in the third frame.
Brookland maintained the lead in the early stages of the fourth frame, but Marion got even at 10 apiece behind kills from Izzy Fenter and Sutton, and the Pats took the lead for good on back-to-back kills from Williams and Brown.
Another Brown kill preceded an Alli Sharp ace, leading to Williams scoring on a kill, followed by an ace for a 21-13 lead, and Marion closed out down the stretch with a kill from Taylor Ruffin and then a Claire Brinkley ace.
Marion played Beebe for the first time since 2023 on Tuesday evening, and for the first time ever as a league opponent, and the upset-minded Badgers were ready from the jump.
The Patriots embarked on an early 3-0 run, featuring kills from Fenter and Williams, and the visitors led 12-10.
Back-to-back kills from Ruffin gave Marion a 17-13 advantage, but Beebe worked within 18-16, and the Pats clinched a six-point victory after getting kills from Brown and Brinkley down the stretch.
Marion trailed only briefly at 2-1 and 4-2 in the second set, immediately responding with five straight points to take control of the proceedings.
That run featured back-to-back kills from Ruffin, followed by consecutive aces from Brinkley for a 6-4 advantage.
Marion claimed its first double-digit lead of the second (16-6) after a Sutton kill, and Marion clinched a 15-point win when Brown slammed a kill, and then an ace, to push the Pats to victory.
But Beebe was not rattled after Marion earned the first two sets, proving its mettle by leading for most of the third frame.
The big blow was a run of nine straight Badger points to give the hosts a 9-1 lead to force a Marion timeout.
The Pats hit the comeback trail following the stoppage, getting an ace from Harper Doyle, two kills from Brown, and back-to-back aces from Williams to get within 11-7.
The Badgers pulled ahead 21-17 following a block point, and Beebe led 24-19 following a kill, on the verge of forcing a fourth set.
Instead, Marion rallied as Brown racked up a kill, back-to-back aces, and another kill to get Marion within one, followed by a Ruffin kill to tie the set, and a Beebe hitting error gave Marion a set point opportunity.
After a Badger point tied the set at 25, Ruffin and Brown slammed the door on Beebe with back-to-back kills.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Marion travels on Thursday to Batesville for a league contest before hosting Paragould on Tuesday, September 22, and traveling to Searcy on Thursday, September 24. You can watch those matches for free on the Marion Patriots Activities Network.
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 9/14
Marion 3, Beebe 0
Paragould 3, Batesville 1
Searcy 3, Greene Co. Tech 0
Nettleton 3, W. Memphis 0
5A EAST STANDINGS ON 9/16
SCHOOL CONF. RECORD
Marion 5-0
Paragould 5-0
Valley View 4-1
Searcy 4-1
Greene Co. Tech 2-4
Batesville 1-4
Nettleton 1-4
W. Memphis 0-5
Top four teams make the state tournament.
5A EAST MATCHES ON 9/17
Marion at Batesville
Searcy at Paragould
Beebe at Valley View
Nettleton at Greene Co. Tech