Through the years, Marion has logged some crucial victories on the volleyball court against Crittenden County rival West Memphis, including a season ago when the Pats clinched the 5A East title at Lehr Arena. Add Tuesday night's conquest of the Blue Devils to the list. Marion edged ever closer to a berth in the Class 5A state tournament in Greenbrier by dispatching West Memphis in three sets (25-15, 25-23, and 25-17) at Fidelity Bank Arena. Marion (14-9 overall) improves to 7-3 in 5A East action ahead of a Thursday trip to Paragould, which dealt the Pats one of their three league losses. The top four of eight 5A East teams qualify for the state tournament. Marion is currently tied for second place in the league standings with Greene County Tech. Marion and West Memphis split the first 22 points of the opening set on Tuesday before the Pats put together one of their patented runs with back-to-back kills from senior Kiah Rucker, as well as kills from Madison Allison and Maggie Miller, and Marion earned a 15-11 advantage. The lead hit five points (19-14) following kills from Rucker and Alexa Shinabery, and Marion closed out West Memphis when Meredith Williams wrapped two kills around a Kaitlyn Austin ace as the hosts cruised to a 10-point victory in the opener. But the Blue Devils didn't back down in the second stanza, a frame that featured eight ties. The Blue Devils scored five straight points, and seven of eight, to earn a 14-11 lead, which forced a Marion timeout. Marion got contributions from everyone on the roster to erase the deficit, starting with a pair of Miller-to-Kennedy Bullins connections, followed by kills by Williams, Allison, Rucker, and Shinabery to trim the West Memphis lead to 20-19. The Pats got even at 21 when Bullins logged a kill, Williams delivered an ace, and when Miller handed out an assist to Rucker, Marion had its first lead (22-21) since 11-10. Miller set Rucker for Marion's last three points of a two-point conquest in the second frame. Marion scored six of the first seven points of the third set, with Rucker accounting for three kills and a block, and Bullins checking in with a pair of kills. When Shinabery turned a Miller pass into a kill, Marion led 9-3 as West Memphis called for time. Williams registered a kill and a block for points later in the set, while Bullins, Allison, and Rucker all logged a pair of kills to keep the Pats in front. A Williams kill pushed the Pats ahead 19-15, Taylor Chamness served a pair of aces, and Williams and Bullins logged kills for the final two points of the match. Rucker recorded a team-high 12 kills against West Memphis, while Bullins tallied eight, with Williams checking in with seven. Williams and Chamness topped the team with a pair of aces served. Austin paced the Pats with 22 digs, while Bullins finished with 13, while Miller handed out an eye-popping 33 assists. 5A EAST STANDINGS TEAM CONFERENCE RECORD Valley View 10-0 Marion 7-3 Greene County Tech 7-3 Batesville 6-4 Paragould 5-5 West Memphis 2-8 Nettleton 2-8 Searcy 0-10