With a 3-2 record, the fifth-seeded Marion volleyball team took third place at the Heart of America tournament Saturday at Mound?ridge.
Marion came out strong against No. 3 Hutchinson Trinity, winning Set 1, 25-14. But the Celtics claimed the next two sets for the win (25-13, 25-12), and went on to claim second.
?We started out great,? coach Brady Hudson said. ?The girls were communicating well and playing some smart ball. I think it caught Trinity off-guard for the first set, but they came back strong in the second and third set, and we just couldn?t hold them down.?
Marion then defeated No. 2 Sedgwick, 24-26, 27-25, 25-18.
After that, the Warriors defeated fourth-seeded Remington, 25-17, 27-2.
?We finally beat Remington,? Hudson said. ?Remington had just played Moundridge the match before, and they were definitely in a funk after. It was not the same team we had seen the previous two times we had played them.?
The top-seeded host team handed Marion its second loss of the day, 25-19, 25-21. Earlier this season, Marion split two games with the Wildcats. Moundridge went on to win the tournament.
Marions then defeated No. 6 Ell-Saline for the second time this season, 26-24, 25-20.
Marion?The Warriors went 2-1 Tuesday. Marion opened with a two-set victory over Peabody-Burns.
With a Julia Hall kill, the home team took a 7-0 lead and built to a 10-point, 13-3, advantage. Peabody-Burns responded with a Katy Benson kill followed by a block by Anna Lubbers, but it was too little, too late, as Marion won Set 1, 25-10.
Set 2 once again began with a 7-0 Marion lead, and after a Sam Davies kill, Marion had extended it to 14-1. Behind the strong serving of Davies, who had three straight service aces, Marion led, 21-4. The set ended with three straight kills, including the Shelby Felvus attack that won it for Marion, 25-7.
Marion then faced Remington, but lost in two sets. The Warriors trailed 5-0 early in Set 1, but battled back to tie the game at 10 with a tip-kill by Marissa Jacobson. It was a back-and-forth battle from there. Marion led 24-22 after a Hall kill, but Remington emerged victorious, 28-26.
Set 2 was also highly contested, and the teams worked to a 13-13 tie. when Marion stalled,Remington scored five straight points. Marion crept back to within two, but the Broncos went on to win, 25-18.
In the nightcap, Marion defeated Berean Academy for the fourth time this season. In Set 1, Marion came out strong, never trailing en route to a 25-7 victory.
The Berean Warriors gave the Warriors from Marion a battle in Set 2, and Berean led by as many as five. But with Marion trailing, 20-17, a Hall kill ignited an 8-0 Marion surge for the 25-20 win.
Coming?Marion (28-8) will compete in the Class 3A sub-state hosted by Hills?boro Saturday. Joining Marion and the host school are Beloit, Ellsworth, Southeast of Saline, Lyons, Minneapolis and Sterling.
Pairings will be announced Wednesday and will be posted at hillsborofreepress.com.
