Marion volleyball coach Lisa Beasley is a big believer in the mantra “we over me,” meaning that you can do more as a group than you can as an individual. Over the weekend, Beasley's Patriots played it out on the court at the 2023 River City Classic in Bartlett, Tennessee. Marion entered the elimination round of the tournament as the No. 7 seed following a 2-2 run in pool play, but the Pats wouldn't be denied when the lights shone the brightest. Marion avenged an earlier loss to the host school, Bartlett, in the opening round of the tournament before dispatching Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tennessee) in the semifinals, and Marion downed Thompson of Alabaster, Alabama in three sets in the championship game. Marion's (6-3 overall) run started strong last Friday night as the Pats ripped Lausanne Collegiate and Evangelical Christian both in straight sets. The Pats outpaced Lausanne 25-12 and 25-10 in the opener as sophomore Kennedy Bullins wound up with six kills while junior Alexa Shinabery and sophomores Reese Goodwin and Kaitlyn Austin recorded three kills apiece. Junior Maggie Miller led the way with three aces, three assists, and six digs, while sophomore Abbi Simmons also recorded six digs. Austin and classmate Taylor Chamness recorded five digs apiece. Marion kept rolling into the nightcap, overwhelming Evangelical Christian 25-7 and 25-5 behind six kills by Bullins and four apiece from Austin and freshman Kendall Brown. Simmons served seven aces while Chamness checked in with three of her own. Shinabery led the way with seven digs, while Chamness wound up with six and Miller paced the Pats with 10 assists. MHS drew the early match on Saturday morning and lost in straight sets (25-13 and 26-24) to Bartlett. Austin and Bullins recorded five kills apiece in that match, while Shinabery and Simmons served aces. Chamness paced the Pats with 13 digs while Simmons checked in with nine and Miller got to 10 assists once again against Bartlett. The Pats encountered a bit of bad luck in the final pool match, a 2-1 (23-25, 27-25, and 15-9) three-set loss to the Hazel Green Trojans. Bullins stacked a team-high 12 kills, while Brown finished with eight. Simmons served up a pair of aces while Austin, Shinabery, Chamness, Miller, and Bullins also served an ace. Shinabery led the way with 13 digs against Hazel Green while Simmons put up 11 and Austin recorded nine. Marion's 2-2 record in pool play dropped it to the No. 7 seed in the tournament, which included a first-round rematch with Bartlett. This time, the Pats were ready, outpacing the Panthers in three sets (25-22, 22-25, and 15-12). Brown led Marion with nine kills while Bullins finished with seven and Austin stacked six. Simmons, Austin, and Miller served two aces apiece, while Chamness and Bullins each recorded one. Miller amassed 11 digs while Simmons and Austin logged nine each. Marion was sharp in the semifinals against Lipscomb, downing the Mustangs in straight sets (25-22 and 25-14). Austin and Bullins sparked Marion's attack with seven kills apiece while Shinabery stacked six. Miller and Austin handed out three assists apiece while Simmons recorded 12 digs. In the title bout, Marion outlasted the Thompson Warriors in three sets (25-16, 17-25, and 15-10). Bullins boosted the Pats with eight kills while Shinabery finished with five. Austin served seven aces, while Shinabery recorded three. Austin led the way again with 12 digs while Simmons finished with nine and Chamness got to eight. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Wynne this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. For a junior varsity and varsity match. The Pats open conference play on Tuesday against Valley View and that event will also start at 4:30. Both matches will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app.