Patriots fall to Greenwood at State

Marion volleyball season ends with loss to top-seeded Bulldogs

Marion School District Despite all the questions that Marion’s Lady Patriots gave the one-seed of the 5A West, the Greenwood Bulldogs all the right answers. The first-round exit took three sets, but the Lady Pats noticeably improved their game in each frame.

The Bulldogs owned the early part of the game, but the scores reflected the way the Lady Pats bounced back from the rough start.

With only three players on roster with any state tournament experience, the girls seemed to get more comfortable as the game went on.

The first set (25-10) was all Greenwood, with every bounce and close play going the Bulldogs’ way. The young Marion team did not seem ready for the speed and length of the veteran Bulldogs.

Set two (25-13) finished with a Bulldog run, but the Lady Pats traded points with Greenwood in the early part of the action.

Marion’s inexperience in an environment like a state tournament was negated for a moment, but Greenwood continued to force the Pats to play perfect by winning all of the close points.

The Marion team that took the court in the third set (25-23) looked completely different than the one in the previous two sets. Communication among the players was at a level not seen too often this season.

Both Marion and Greenwood went on mini-runs of good plays and mistakes throughout the third.

Greenwood led 22-19 when the Lady Pats took their second timeout. The Lady Pats used the momentum from the stoppage to take a 23-22 lead with the season on the line.

However, Greenwood immediately followed the lead change with a timeout of their own which seemed to calm the Bulldogs down. Greenwood went on a 3-0 run to clinch the set, sending them to the second round and ending the Lady Patriots’ season.

Including the state tournament loss, the Lady Pats finish the season with an overall record of 19-9-1 and a conference record of 9-5. Despite the end to the season, the winning record and tournament appearance were a welcome sight to a team that finished just 1117 a season ago.