The preseason is over, and while it may take some teams a while to ramp up, the 2023 Marion volleyball squad had flashes of brilliance in Thursday night's traditional benefit jamboree. Marion unofficially launched its 2023 season with a 25-17 loss to defending Class 4A state champion Brookland before bouncing back with an impressive 25-11 conquest of last year's Class 5A state runner-up Valley View. Marion capped its evening with a 25-18 win over 5A East rival Nettleton to finish 2-1 at Blazer Arena at Valley View. BROOKLAND 25, MARION 17 The Patriots swapped punches with the defending state champs early in the opening set for each team. Junior Maggie Miller dished assists to sophomore Kennedy Bullins and junior Alexa Shinabery, who tied the set at 2 apiece. From there, Brookland scored five straight points for a 7-2 advantage, but Bullins and Shinabery pounded consecutive kills to pull the Pats back within 7-4. A Shinabery ace and a net violation were the only Marion points during a Brookland run that gave the Bearcats a 13-6 lead and forced a Marion timeout. Freshman Kendall Brown blocked a Brookland shot before Miller registered a kill, but when the Bearcat lead hit 20-12, Marion burned its second timeout. Down the stretch, Shinabery served another ace as Miller found Brown twice for kills, but the Bearcats scored three of the final four points to secure victory. MARION 25, VALLEY VIEW 11 An approximate 30-minute break did wonders for Marion in the Pats' second set of the scrimmage against the defending 5A East champions. Valley View claimed an early 3-2 lead, but that's when Miller showed off her superb all-around skillset. The junior all-conference performer started a Marion run when she found Bullins for a kill to tie the set at 3 while earning the serve back for the Pats. As luck would have it, Miller took the serve for Marion and promptly tallied another point for the Pats with an ace. On the ensuing play, Miller scored on a no-look kill that she hit over on two for a 5-3 Marion bulge. Little did anyone know at the time, but the Pats wouldn't trail again. Bullins took center stage later on, registering three kills and serving an ace in a span where Marion scored seven of nine points. When Valley View pushed back to get within two points, sophomore Kaitlyn Austin registered kills on two of three points, and when sophomore Taylor Chamness served an ace for a 13-8 Marion lead, Valley View called for time. But the stoppage did little to slow the Miller-to-Austin connection as the pair combined for points on consecutive plays as Marion led 16-8. The Marion lead hit 10 points (19-9) when Miller found Austin again. Bullins carried Marion to the finish line down the stretch, logging a pair of blocks and two kills to push the Pats to the brink, and when Miller set Shinabery two plays in a row, Marion had earned a 14-point victory. MARION 25, NETTLETON 18 Marion and Nettleton split the first six points of the final set for each school. Still, the Pats took control from there when Miller served consecutive aces before Bullins blocked a Raider shot at the net, and when Miller handed out assists to Bullins and Shinabery, Marion's lead was 9-3. But Nettleton crept back into the game, scoring five of six points at one time, to make the score 13-10. That's when Bullins went to work, logging three kills in a four-point span for a 16-11 Marion lead. Marion forced a Nettleton timeout when Miller handed out assists to sophomore Reese Goodwin and Brown on back-to-back points, and a Raider hitting error gave the Pats a 19-12 advantage. Nettleton twice got within five points late in the set, but Bullins came up with a pair of kills, while Shinabery, Brown, and Goodwin had one apiece as Marion closed out a 25-18, and a successful jamboree outing. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion officially opens its 2023 season on Tuesday, August 22 when the Pats travel to play Beebe. The junior varsity gets going at 4:30 followed by the varsity match, and it will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.