Patriot volleyball picks up a pair of impressive wins

Marion ramains atop conference standings

By Chuck Livingston

Marion School District

Marion 3, Mountain Home 1

MOUNTAIN HOME — Mountain Home’s home basketball and volleyball gym, affectionately known around the state as “The Hangar,” has earned a reputation as one of the more difficult places for visiting teams to visit in Arkansas.

Playing in front of enthusiastic home crowds is part of the equation, as is the usual parade of competitive teams that inhabit the gym, which tends to create that atmosphere.

Which made it the perfect site for Marion’s biggest road win of the season on Monday night.

The Patriots kicked off a three-match week with a fourset victory (25-17, 25-20, 2527, and 25-14) inside the Hangar on Monday night to improve to 12-3 overall, while remaining flawless in 5A East play at 7-0.

Marion hosts Searcy on Tuesday evening at 3M Transit Arena for a junior varsity and varsity match, and the Patriots return to the road on Thursday when they travel to play Greene County Tech. The Searcy and Greene County Tech contests will be broadcast for free on MarionPatriots. com and on the MPAN YouTube channel and mobile app.

The first three sets felt like a state tournament atmosphere as two of the top programs in the league clashed.

The teams split the first 24 points of the opening set with each side only taking a twopoint lead once during that stretch.

Marion made its move following that spurt as Kendall Brown came up with two kills, while Kennedy Bullins notched a kill and a block, and after a Mountain Home hitting error, the Pats had claimed a 19-12 lead in the opening frame, paving the way for an eight-point victory and a 1-0 lead in the match.

Marion and Mountain Home split the opening 28 points of the second stanza, and again Marion went on the first run as Maggie Miller set Brown, Alexa Shinabery, and Bullins for kills, the latter giving the Pats an 18-15 lead to force a Mountain home timeout.

But the Bombers scored the first three points after the stoppage to tie the set at 18, setting the stage for block points from Brown and Bullins, kills from Brown and Marlee Williams, and when Kaitlyn Austin sent a kill down the line in front of the Mountain Home bench area, Marion won set No. 2 25-20 for a 2-0 lead in the match.

Marion got off the blocks in a hurry in the potentially deciding third set, scoring the first four points of the frame on an Abbigale Simmons ace, and back-to-back points by Brown.

But the Bombers battled back from there, pulling even at 6 apiece as the teams settled in.

Mountain Home took a late 21-20 lead on an Anna Mc-Carn kill to force a Marion timeout, and the Patriots responded with a Brown block and kills from Bullins, Austin, and Brown to take a 25-24 advantage, leaving the visitors one point away from victory.

But again the Bombers responded, scoring the last three points to earn a 27-25 victory and force a fourth set.

With a second chance to close out, Marion put together one of its better frames of the season, scoring the first five points on a Simmons ace, kills from Austin and Brown, and a pair of Bomber hitting

See PATS, page A9 PATS

From page A7

errors.

Following a Shinabery ace and a hitting error, Marion’s lead was 10-4 as the hosts called for time.

Marion took its first doubledigit lead of the set at 22-12 when Claire Brinkley hit Brown for a kill, followed by a Bullins block, a Brown ace, and Bullins packed the Bombers up for good with a kill that clinched Marion’s 11point conquest.

Marion 3, Searcy 0

The Marion Patriots found themselves in an odd spot Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after topping old rival Mountain Home in four sets late Monday night, with a 5A East showdown at Greene County Tech looming on Thursday evening.

Searcy invaded 3M Transit Arena and you'd have to forgive Marion if its attention was divided or elsewhere.

But it wasn't to be on this day. The Patriots hit their visitors with huge opening runs in the first two sets while saving their big run for later in the third set to down the Lions in three sets (25-5, 25-5, and 2511).

Marion improved to 10 games above .500 for the first time in 2024 with a 13-3 overall mark, and the Pats remained flawless in the driver's seat for a second straight 5A East title with an 8-0 league mark.

Marion embarked on a crisp 9-1 run to open the first first set, highlighted by a pair of Claire Brinkley aces, a Kendall Brown block, and an Aynslee Coad kill.

The Pats took their first double- digit lead of the first frame when Alexa Shinabery served an ace, followed by another Brown block, and when Abby Simmons set Kaitlyn Austin for a kill, Marion's lead was 14-2 as Searcy called for time.

Maggie Miller then served three aces during an 8-0 Marion push, the last of which gave the hosts their first 20–point lead of the set at 24-4, which doubled as the Pats' largest lead of the first frame. Marion's opening run in the

See PATS, page A10 PATS

From page A9

second stanza was six points in a row before Searcy scored, and the Marion lead again peaked at 20 points.

Miller and Brinkley powered the opening push as that duo combined for 13 assists in the second set alone.

Miller took center stage early on, finding Shinabery twice, and Brown, Reese Goodwin, and Marlee Williams once apiece for a 6-0 Marion advantage.

Then it was Brinkley who took over, dishing to Brown and Austin twice while serving an ace to give the Pats a 12-1 lead and force a Lion timeout.

Brinkley helped cap the Lions late, setting Williams, Bren Sutton, and Williams again to give Marion a second straight 20-point victory in the set.

Austin, Coad, and Williams registered kills to give Marion an early 7-4 lead in the third set, and it remained close until Marion got going again when Williams and Brown logged kills for a 16-9 Marion advantage and forced a Lion timeout.

Marion took its first doubledigit lead on an Izzy Fenter kill, which led to a Taylor Chamness ace, and Marion closed out with kills from Fenter and Sutton.

What’s Next?

Marion continues 5A East play on Thursday afternoon when the Patriots travel to play Greene County Tech.

The evening features a junior high varsity match, followed by a senior high B game and then the senior high varsity match. You can watch the Greene County Tech senior high varsity match for free on MarionPatriots.com, on the MPAN YouTube channel, or the MPAN mobile app.

5A East Standings

Marion 8-0 Valley View 7-1 Greene Co. Tech 6-2 Mountain Home 5-3 Batesville 4-4 Paragould 3-5 Nettleton 1-7 Searcy 0-7 W. Memphis 0-7

5A East Matches on 9/26

Marion at Greene Co. Tech Mountain Home at Paragould Valley View at Batesville Searcy at Nettleton W. Memphis is open.