Blue Imps beat Jr. Pats in thriller
West volleyball girls outlast Marion on home turf
ralphhardin@gmail.com Anytime you get any version of the “Hometown Showdown” between Marion and West Memphis, it’s always a good time, no matter the sport. Such was the case last Thursday night when the Marion Junior Patriots and the West Junior High Blue Imps clashed on the volleyball court at Lehr Arena ahead of the Blue Devils vs. Patriots high school game.
Those who came out early for the junior high clash got their money’s worth and then some. On paper, it was a straight-set win, but the match itself was anything but a runaway.
West opened up an early lead in the first set, going up 4-0 and holding the lead until late in the set when Marion came back to tie the score at 22-22. What followed was a thrilling back-and-forth with the score knotted again at 24-24 and 27-27 before the Blue Imps finally put the Pats away 29-27, putting Marion in the position of having to win two straight sets to avoid the loss.
Early on, it appeared to be a repeat of the first set, with Marion falling behind 6-1 to start the set behind the service of Chloe Fesperman. But Marion countered with some strong serves from Maggie Miller to keep it close.
West again maintained a lead of 2 to 4 points throughout the set before Marion came on strong again late to force the issue. With West up 22-18, the Pats went on a run to tie it at 22-22. Another series of plays went Marion’s way and the Pats looked to force a third set, going up 24-23. After a misfired serve, the Blue Imps got the ball back to tie the score. But Marion refused to quit and went up 25-24.
From there it was all Marion, thanks to some clutch serves from Kelby Lassiter, who rattled off three straight points to give West a 27-25 win and complete the sweep.
The action didn’t stop there, as the Blue Devils and Patriots went a full five sets in the high school game. Look for the results of that match-up in an upcoming edition of the Times.
