The Marion volleyball team chose to open its 2026 schedule with one of the more difficult three-game stretches of recent vintage.
Luckily, Marion was able to win them all.
The Patriots clinched a 3-0 start to this volleyball season by topping 5A East rival Valley View in the league opener in four sets (23-25, 25-22, 25-15 and 25-22).
Marion's 22nd consecutive win dating back to last year predates the Pats' run this weekend at the River City Classic tournament in Bartlett, Tennessee.
MHS returns to conference play on Tuesday, September 1 with a match at West Memphis. You can watch the West Memphis match for free on the MPAN YouTube channel.
It was far from a walk against the Blazers on Thursday evening, however.
Valley View took the lead for good in the in initial set at 10-9, and led by as many as five points on two occasions, but Marion battled back to tie the set at 23 after a Kendall Brown kill and an Alli “Gator” Sharp ace. The Blazers tallied two kills from there to claim a tight 25-23 victory in the opener.
Marion got the jump in the second stanza, bolting out to a 7-2 lead following two kills apiece from Brown and Marlee Williams, a Claire Brinkley ace, and a Taylor “Tot” Ruffin kill.
But Valley View woke up from there, rallying to take a 19-17 lead in the second frame.
But Brown came up with kills on three of Marion's next four points to give her team a 21-19 lead, and when Bren Sutton slammed home a kill of her own, the Patriots had earned a three-point victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The two heavyweights swapped jabs in the third set, splitting the first 20 points, but Marion took the lead for good at 11-10 on a Brown kill, followed by a Sharp ace, a Williams kill, and when Sharp served another ace for a four-point Marion advantage, Valley View called for time.
The Blazers never got closer than three points the rest of the way as Marion got kills from Izzy Fenter, Ruffin, an ace from Brown, and another Ruffin kill to sew up a tidy 10-point conquest in the third.
Kills from Brown, Brinkley, and another Sharp ace, staked Marion to an early 3-1 lead, and the Pats maintained that advantage through 11-9, when Brown registered back-to-back kills, and four in a six-point span, to give Marion an 18-12 lead.
Following a Blazer timeout, the visitors responded with four points in a row to get within 18-16 as Marion called for a timeout of its own.
The Blazers got within 20-19 following the stoppage, but a Valley View hitting error set up an Annabelle White ace for a 22-19 MHS lead.
A Blazer ace got Valley View within 23-22, but Williams and Brown slammed the door down the stretch with back-to-back kills to give Marion a dramatic four-set victory over Valley View.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Marion will participate in the 2026 River City Classic this weekend in Bartlett, Tennessee. Stay tuned to MPAN's social media network for updates on those matches, as there will not be live broadcasts of those contests.
The Patriots return to 5A East play on Tuesday, September 1 at West Memphis, a match that you can watch for free on MPAN.
ALL-AMERICANS
Marion senior volleyball players Claire Brinkley, Kendall Brown, Alli Sharp, Bren Sutton, Annabelle White, and Marlee Williams landed on the 2026 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America watch list earlier this week.
5A EAST RESULTS FROM 8/27
Marion 3, Valley View 1
Paragould 3, W. Memphis 0
Beebe 3, Nettleton 1
Greene Co. Tech 3, Batesville 1
5A EAST STANDINGS ON 8/28
TEAM CONF. RECORD
Marion 1-0
Beebe 1-0
Paragould 1-0
Greene Co. Tech 1-0
Searcy 0-0
Valley View 0-1
Nettleton 0-1
Batesville 0-1
W. Memphis 0-1
Top four teams qualify for state tournament at Farmington.
5A EAST MATCHES ON 9/1
Marion at W. Memphis
Paragould at Greene Co. Tech
Nettleton at Batesville
Valley View at Searcy
Lonoke at Beebe (non-conference