Just past the midway point of the season, and it looks like the Brookland Bearcats may be one of the top teams in the state. Not just in Class 4A, but all of Arkansas. Marion took Brookland the distance two weeks ago at the Hot Springs Lakeside tournament before losing by two points in the decisive set, but the Bearcats did everything right Monday night in a three-set victory (25-18, 25-22, and 25-21) over Marion at 3M Transit Arena. Marion didn't back down from the likely 4A Northeast conference champions on Monday night, though. The Pats took a 7-5 lead on back-to-back Alexa Shinabery kills before Brookland (17-4 overall, 9-0 4A Northeast) ripped off four of the next five points. Marion (13-8, 6-3 5A East) got within 11-10 before the Bearcats scored four in a row to force a Patriot timeout. The stoppage proved fruitful as Marion senior Kiah Rucker wrapped a pair of kills around a Maggie Miller ace to bring the Pats within 15-13. But it was all Brookland from there as the Bearcats posted three runs of three points or more to pull away for a 25-18 win in the opener. Marion bounced back in the second stanza, tying the set at 4 behind back-to-back Madison Allison kills, and when Miller found Rucker, the score was knotted again at 5. The second set would feature seven ties. Brookland finally strung together three straight points for an 11-8 advantage to force a Marion timeout, but the Pats rallied when Rucker deposited a free ball for a kill, Meredith Williams blocked a kill attempt, Shinabery recorded a kill, and Taylor Chamness served an ace, the latter of which forced a Brookland timeout at 17-16. But the closest Marion would get down the stretch would be two points on three occasions before Brookland logged kills on its last three points to clinch victory. Marion stayed close in the early stages of set No. 3 behind three early kills from Rucker, but Brookland scored three in a row for an 8-4 lead That lead held until the middle stages of the set when Shinabery logged a kill, and Williams blocked a Brookland kill to tie the score at 14. Marion would earn three more ties in the set before the Bearcats ran off three points consecutively to force Marion to call for time. Marion crept within two points three times the rest of the way before Brookland scored the last two points down the stretch. Marion hosts West Memphis on Tuesday night at Fidelity Bank Arena for a full evening of volleyball. The seventh-grade match starts at 4:30, and all contests will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com.