Marion executed its gameplan flawlessly throughout Tuesday night's opening set against state volleyball juggernaut Valley View. An Alexa Shinabery kill had just given the Patriots a 23-22 lead in front of a raucous 3M Transit Arena as the Blazers called for time. But it wasn't to be. Valley View scored the final three points of the opening set for a dramatic 25-23 win en route to a three-set conquest (25-23, 25-14, and 25-19) over Marion. The victory leaves the Blazers in control of the 5A East. Valley View tops the league standings with an 8-0 record. Defending 5A East champion Marion is 12-8 overall and 5-3 in league play. The opening set proved eventful despite Valley View scoring the first three points of the stanza. Marion tied the score at 5 when Maggie Miller and Kiah Rucker connected for a kill, and from there the score tied 12 times. Marion claimed its first lead at 17-16 when Miller served an ace, and when Miller found Rucker for a kill the Pats led 18-16 to force a Valley View timeout. But Valley View led 22-19 late in the stanza when the Pats made their final push, taking advantage of a service error before Rucker, Meredith Williams and Shinabery recorded kills to give Marion that 23-22 lead before the Blazers scored the final three points to earn a hard-fought opener. A Rucker kill and a Valley View error gave Marion an early 5-3 lead in the second stanza, but the Blazers responded by scoring five consecutive points for an 8-5 lead. A Kennedy Bullins kill and an ace from Shinabery tied the second frame at 9, but the Blazers ripped off eight of the next nine points to take control of a set that they would go on to win by 11. Marion didn't back down in the third set, leading by as many as three points following a Bullins kill and a Rucker block, but Valley View ran off six straight points for a 14-11 lead that forced a Marion timeout. Miller set for kills by Rucker, Williams, and Shinabery later in the third set, with Williams' point moving Marion within 17-14. The Pats got within 20-18 following a net violation and a Shinabery kill, but Valley View closed out with kills on three of its final five points. Marion continues league action on Thursday at Nettleton in a varsity contest that will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network. 5A EAST STANDINGS TEAM CONF. RECORD Valley View 8-0 Batesville 6-2 Marion 5-3 Greene County Tech 5-3 Paragould 4-4 West Memphis 3-5 Nettleton 2-6 Searcy 0-8