One of Marion’s goals every preseason is to win the 5A East conference championship, meaning that the Patriots would qualify for the state tournament and be able to make a run at a state championship.
On Tuesday night, MHS took a major step forward towards winning that league for the fifth time in six seasons.
Marion (15-1 overall, 7-0 5A East) won a high-profile showdown with rival Paragould at 3M Transit Arena in four sets (19-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-12), moving into sole possession of first place in the league with a flawless 7-0 mark, while Paragould tumbled to 6-1 against 5A East competition.
The victory over Paragould was far from easy, however. The Rams silenced a big crowd in Marion by leading for most of the first set and claiming a 25-19 decision as the Paragould fans and bench erupted with every point.
The second stanza looked to be going the same way as the first as the visitors bolted out to a 9-4 lead and forced a Marion timeout.
A Patriot rally began when Marion senior Izzy Fenter blocked a shot at the net, followed by a pair of Ram hitting errors, a Marlee Williams block, then a kill, and when Annabelle White served her first ace of the night, Marion had stolen the lead at 10-9.
Paragould pushed back to tie the set at 11, but kills from Williams and Bren Sutton, followed by an ace by Alli Sharp, gave Marion a 15-11 lead as Paragould again called for time.
Marion ran past the Rams late as Williams, Kendall Brown, and Sutton tallied kills and the Pats claimed a nine-point victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The hosts scored the first four points of the third set as Fenter recorded a kill, Williams came up with a pair, and Sharp added another ace.
Following a Brown kill, White served an ace, followed by another Brown kill as Marion’s lead hit 10-7.
A Brinkley ace followed by a Sutton kill gave Marion a 15-11 lead as Paragould called for time.
Down the stretch, Sutton, Brown, and Williams pounded two kills apiece as Marion pulled away to a 25-17 victory to push Paragould to the brink.
Marion got the jump again in the fourth set as Fenter came up with a pair of kills and Sharp served another ace as Marion led 5-1 early.
The Rams rallied behind Ava Beasley and Madison Martin and tied the score at 7, but Sutton, Williams, Brown, and Fenter each came up with kills, the latter of which gave Marion a 12-7 lead as Paragould called for time.
The stoppage could not stop the Marion onslaught as Fenter responded with two kills, Williams came up with one, and White served another ace to account for a 5-0 Marion run that gave the Pats their first double-digit lead at 17-7.
Fenter and Brown came up with two kills apiece late to turn away Paragould as Marion marched to a 13-point victory in set No. 4 to win the important match in four sets.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Marion continues 5A East play on Thursday, September 24 with a trip to Searcy. You can watch that match for free on the Marion Patriots Activities Network if you can not attend.
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 9/22
Marion 3, Paragould 1
Valley View 3, Batesville 0
Beebe 3, W. Memphis 0
Nettleton 3, Searcy 1
5A EAST STANDINGS ON 9/23
SCHOOL CONF. RECORD
Marion 7-0
Valley View 6-1
Paragould 6-1
Searcy 5-2
Greene Co. Tech 3-4
Beebe 2-5
Nettleton 2-6
Batesville 1-6
W. Memphis 0-7
Top four teams make state tournament at Farmington.
5A EAST MATCHES ON 9/24
Marion at Searcy
Valley View at Paragould
Beebe at Greene Co. Tech
W. Memphis at Batesville