Patriots top Blue Devils on Senior Night in straight sets

Marion Volleyball gets sweep in 5A East clash

By Chuck Livingston

Marion School District

Marion had two things on its collective mind on Tuesday evening inside Fidelity Bank Arena.

The first was recognizing their four senior volleyball players (Carley Key, Maggie Miller, Alexa Shinabery, and Anna Wehrum) who have been with the program since seventh grade.

The second was clinching a state tournament spot for the fifth straight season and for the 23rd time in 25 years.

It’s safe to say the Patriots pulled off the double dip in grand style.

Marion (20-7 overall, 12-2 5A East) kept pace in the conference title hunt with a three-set victory over county rival West Memphis (25-10, 25-18, and 25-15) after senior recognition prior to the junior varsity match.

The victory clinched Marion’s spot in this year’s Class 5A state tournament, though the Pats could still finish anywhere from the No. 1 seed to the third spot.

Marion finishes out its 2024 regular season next week with three matches, a Monday nonconference tilt at Jonesboro, the home finale on Tuesday against likely state tournament outfit Mountain Home, and a Thursday road date at Searcy.

Marion’s seniors celebrated before the games began on Tuesday, and the party rolled into the action as Key (20 assists against West Memphis) and Miller (16 helpers) paced the Pats in assists, while Key also served a team-high six aces, followed by four from Kendall Brown and two apiece from Miller and Shinabery, who finished with six kills and eight digs. Wehrum, who’s missed most of this season with injury, entered in the second set and delivered an accurate serve.

Brown led Marion with 10 kills, while Kaitlyn Austin stacked seven, as did Aynslee Coad. Austin and Abby Simmons finished first against West Memphis with 15 digs apiece, while Simmons also served a pair of aces.

Marion took control of the first set quickly by scoring 10 of the first 12 points, highlighted by two Miller aces and a Miller assist to Coad and one to Brown, the latter of which gave the Pats a 6-2 advantage. A Shinabery ace preceded an Austin kill and when the Blue Devils sailed a ball out of bounds, the visitors called time trailing 10-2.

But the Blue Devils pushed back from there, getting two kills from Chloe Fesperman and an ace from Lillie Dickey to get within 11-8 midway through the set.

Marion started its finishing run with a pair of Blue Devil hitting errors and a Marlee Williams block, and the run continued following back-toback aces from Key, the latter of which gave the hosts their first double-digit lead at 18-8. Key hit Williams twice down the stretch to help Marion clinch a dominant 15-point victory in the opener.

The teams split the first eight points of the second set, but Brown got Marion going when she turned a Miller pass into a kill, followed by an Austin kill, and then Brown served consecutive aces to give Marion an 8-4 bulge.

Kills from Coad and Brown, followed by consecutive West Memphis errors gave Marion a 17-11 lead and the Blue Devils called for time.

Miller and Key found Brown and Coad two times apiece late in the second set to help Marion to a 25-18 victory.

West Memphis fashioned an early 4-2 lead in the third set on the strength of block points from Tyra and Laila Taylor, but Marion punched back as Miller set Coad for a kill, Shinabery served an ace, and

See PATS, page A9

Photo by Eryn Edwards PATS

From page A7

Miller registered a kill of her own to tie the frame at 5.

Marion took the lead for good when Key set Shinabery for a kill and an 11-10 lead, and the Pats pulled away late as Miller set Austin, Brown, and Shinabery for kills, and Key found Austin and Williams for points as Marion won by 10.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Marion is off on Thursday, but the Patriots close out their 2024 regular-season schedule next week, beginning with a non-conference tilt at Jonesboro on Monday, a home date with Mountain Home on Tuesday, and the season finale on Thursday at Searcy.

5A EAST RESULTS 10/15

Marion 3, W. Memphis 0 Valley View 3, Mountain Home 1 Batesville 3, Searcy 1 Nettleton 3, Paragould 0

5A EAST STANDINGS

Marion 12-2 Valley View 12-2 Mountain Home 9-4 Greene County Tech 9-4 Batesville 8-6 Nettleton 4-9 Paragould 4-10 West Memphis 2-12 Searcy 0-13 Top four teams make the state tournament in Van Buren October 29-31.

5A EAST MATCHES 10/17

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