MARION AND PARAGOULD --- Following a loss in late September at Valley View, the Marion volleyball team knew that they likely had to win out to even salvage a share of the 2026 5A East conference title.
With zero room for error, Marion is one win away from doing just that.
The Pats defended their home court last Thursday evening, besting 5A East rival Batesville in three sets (25-13, 25-13, 25-15) inside 3M Transit Arena to keep pace with the rest of the league.
Then, on Tuesday evening, Marion visited Paragould’s brand-new Ram Arena for the first time and came away with a three-set win (25-18, 25-17, 25-19) to conclude their portion of the conference road schedule for 2026.
Marion (22-3 overall, 14-1 5A East) caps its regular season Thursday evening at Fidelity Bank Arena against Searcy.
A Patriot victory over the Lions would give Marion no worse than a share of the 5A East conference title for the fifth time in six seasons, and the No. 1 seed in next week’s state volleyball tournament at Farmington.
Marion senior Kendall Brown led Marion in kills against Batesville with 11, while Taylor Ruffin tallied nine, and Marlee Williams racked up seven. Williams served both of Marion’s aces. Brown led the way with 16 digs, while Annabelle White amassed 15 and Claire Brinkley handled 10, and Brinkley led the Pats in assists with 32.
Brown was back at it at Paragould, scoring a match-high 14 kills, while Williams finished with nine and Bren Sutton slammed home seven. Alli Sharp served four aces, Williams handed out a pair, and Brown and White served one each. Brown paced the Pats with 14 digs, while Mallorie Sharp got to 12, and White tallied 11. Brinkley led Marion with 34 assists at Paragould.
Marion scored eight of the first nine points against Batesville in the opening set last Thursday to seize immediate control.
That run featured a pair of kills each from Brown and Williams, as well as a Sharp ace, and the hosts won the opener by 12 points.
But Batesville countered in the second set, splitting the first 24 points of that stanza before Marion got going when Ruffin, White, Williams and Brinkley came up with kills, while Ruffin also added a block point as the Pats pulled away for a 25-13 decision.
Batesville earned a 4-1 lead early in the third frame, but Marion got even on a Brown kill, took the lead on a Williams ace, and back-to-back kills from Ruffin gave the Pats an 8-5 edge.
Consecutive aces from Brown pushed the Pats’ lead to 17-7, and Marion held off a late Pioneer run to win by eight in the third and deciding set.
At Paragould on Tuesday, Marion erased an early 3-0 deficit behind two kills from Williams and a block stuff from Brinkley, and the Marion run continued as Brown came up with two kills and Sharp served an ace.
Kills from Brinkley and Brown led to another Sharp ace, and a Paragould hitting error gave Marion a 20-14 lead en route to a 25-18 opening-set victory.
Izzy Fenter took over in the second set, recording five points in all with four kills. Her second kill gave Marion an 11-5 lead and forced a Ram timeout.
White served a pair of aces later on, and a Ruffin block forced a Paragould timeout with Marion ahead 17-13.
Back-to-back kills from Fenter pushed the Pats in front 20-16 for another Ram timeout, and Sutton slammed home back-to-back kills to give Marion a 25-17 conquest in the second set.
Fenter and Brown logged a kill each while Sharp served back-to-back aces in the third set, part of an opening 6-1 Marion run.
Paragould fought back to tie the set at 15, but Marion pulled away from there with Williams and Brown recording two kills apiece, while Brown added an ace, and Ruffin and Fenter recorded blocks to help Marion win the third set by six.
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 10/20
Marion 3, Paragould 0
Valley View 3, Batesville 0
Searcy 3, Nettleton 1
Beebe 3, W. Memphis 0
5A EAST STANDINGS ON 10/21
SCHOOL CONF. RECORD
Marion 14-1*
Valley View 14-1*
Paragould 12-3*
Searcy 10-5*
Greene Co. Tech 7-8
Nettleton 5-11
Batesville 3-12
Beebe 3-12
W. Memphis 0-15
*clinched playoff spot