As the leaves begin to change, and the calendar turns to fall, one can't help but think about big volleyball matches to decide conference and state championships. On Thursday night inside 3M Transit Arena, Marion and Batesville renewed their rivalry and reminded everyone in attendance of the intensity of state tournament action. A pair of sets were settled by just two points, while home-court advantage helped Marion sprint to crucial victories in the other two sets, en route to a four-set victory (26-24, 25-18, 24-26, and 25-15) over Batesville. The significance of the Batesville victory resonates further when you look at the standings. Marion's victory pulls the Pats to 9-6 overall in 2022, and 5-2 in 5A East action. That league mark is good for second place in the conference chase, tied with Batesville and Paragould, with seven conference contests remaining. “I'm thrilled with how we played tonight for the most part,” said Marion coach Lisa Beasley. “They (Batesville) have a good team. Their middle is excellent, and they played well too. I'm just proud of how tough we played, especially in some really big spots.” In the first set at 3M Transit Arena since August 25, Marion and Batesville (8-6, 5-2) split the first 26 points of the opener before the Pats finally earned some separation when freshman Kennedy Bullins ripped a Maggie Miller pass down the line for a kill. Bullins then served aces on two of the following three points, and Marion had broken through for a 17-13 advantage. Marion led 19-15 when the Pioneers hit the comeback trail, registering kills on five of six points to tie the set at 20 and force a Patriot timeout. Miller registered assists to sophomore Alexa Shinabery and Bullins just before senior Meredith Williams took advantage of an errant hit back for a kill of her own to give the hosts a 23-20 advantage. Williams gave Marion set point following another kill, but Batesville responded with three straight points to even the score at 24. That's when Marion looked to senior all-conference performer Kiah Rucker, who turned a pair of Miller passes into kills for the final two tallies, and a dramatic 27-25 opening set win. While the initial set was tight throughout, Marion never trailed in set No. 2. The Pats took control early when Miller recorded a kill, assisted on a Madison Allison kill, and served an ace for an early 6-2 bulge. Miller stayed at it later in the set, lofting helpers to freshman Aynslee Coad, Bullins, and Williams, the latter giving Marion a 15-5 lead. Batesville crept within 22-18 late in the stanza, but freshman Taylor Chamness served an ace and Bullins logged a pair of kills to give the Pats a 25-18 set victory, and a 2-0 advantage in the match. A Williams ace and kill, followed by kills from Rucker and Coad highlighted an early 11-4 Marion lead in the third set, but Batesville battled back from there. The Pioneers worked within 21-19 late in the set when Bullins and Williams tallied kills. The Pats got to match point when the Pioneers hit the ball out, but Batesville responded with five straight kills to steal the third set 26-24. Miller sparked Marion from the jump in the fourth set, handing out assists to Bullins and Rucker before serving aces on three straight points for a 6-2 Marion lead. Allison logged kills on consecutive points before Williams came up with a block as the lead reached 9-3. Marion led 18-13 when Miller set Allison for a kill before Miller served her fourth ace of the set for a 19-13 advantage. Miller then served aces on back-to-back plays to give Marion its first double-digit lead (23-13) of the night. Miller capped a strong set by setting an Allison for match point. “Maggie did a little bit of everything tonight,” said Beasley. “She's such a great kid and a competitor. It's easy to forget sometimes that she's just a sophomore.” Miller recorded a team-high 28 assists and eight aces against Batesville. Bullins topped the Marion kills chart with 10, followed by Rucker with nine. Williams added seven and Allison checked in with six. Freshman libero Kaitlyn Austin got to a team-best 25 digs, while Bullins was next with 16, while Chamness and Shinabery logged 13 apiece. WHAT'S NEXT Marion welcomes perennial state volleyball power Valley View to 3M Transit Arena on Tuesday evening, with seventh-grade beginning at 4:30 p.m. That contest will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. 5A EAST STANDINGS TEAM LEAGUE RECORD Valley View 7-0 Marion 5-2 Batesville 5-2 Paragould 4-3 Greene Co. Tech 4-3 West Memphis 2-5 Nettleton 1-6 Searcy 0-7