PARAGOULD --- Doc Paynter Court is one of the more imposing volleyball venues in the state no matter how good a team you might have in a given season. That includes the Marion Patriots. Marion visited Doc Paynter Court on Tuesday night for a crucial 5A East conference tilt with a raucous, rowdy crowd awaiting the first-place Pats. But Marion handled the pressure of a quality Paragould team, and that big crowd, well, ripping the Rams in straight sets (25-16, 25-23, and 26-24). The Patriot victory, coupled with Greene County Tech's loss to Valley View, leaves Marion all alone in first place of the 5A East standings with a flawless 4-0 mark, while Tech and Valley View are just behind with 3-1 marks. Marion (10-4 overall, 4-0 5A East) hosts Greene County Tech on Thursday at Fidelity Bank Arena. “I love watching this group play every night,” said Marion coach Lisa Beasley. “I love our grit, fight, and heart. I couldn't be more proud of each young lady on this team.” Beasley's Patriots scrapped together one of their patented fast starts at Paragould on Tuesday, scoring eight of the first 10 points to immediately force a Paragould timeout. Marion junior Maggie Miller went to work in the early stages of the first set, assisting on six of the Pats' first eight points, with sophomore Kennedy Bullins recording four kills, while Kaitlyn Austin and Taylor Chamness logged one each. Miller stayed on center stage later on in the first set, recording an ace, finding Chamness for a kill, and recording a kill of her own as the Marion lead swelled to 10 points at 13-3. But Paragould pushed back behind freshman Ava Beasley, who recorded six kills in the lid-lifter. The Rams worked within eight points three times in the first set, but Marion kept the hosts at bay when freshman Kendall Brown pounded a pair of kills down the stretch to clinch a nine-point win. Paragould pushed back in set No. 2, leading by as many as two points on four occasions. Marion got even when Brown scored on a block and Miller hit Bullins for a kill and the score was knotted at 7. A nip-and-tuck battle ensued from there as neither team could garner any separation until Marion strung together three points in a row when Austin scored on a kill, Brown tallied a block, and when Reese Goodwin served an ace, Marion's lead was 18-15 as Paragould called for time. Paragould got within a point three times late in the second set, but Marion clinched victory when Goodwin turned a Miller pass into a kill as the Pats took a dramatic two-point conquest. The dramatics did not stop there, though. Paragould got Ava Beasley loose early and often in the third set, and the Rams led by as many as six points at 13-7 following a block at the net. From there, Miller dipped further into her bag, distributing the ball to four hitters, including Brown four times, Austin three times, and Bullins twice. The Miller show continued with Marion trailing 17-14 as the junior scored on back-to-back plays, first a kill and an then ace, to drag the Pats within a point. But Paragould didn't back down, pushing the Pats to the brink of a set loss at 24-21. From there, Bullins registered a kill and Beasley sent a kill wide out of the back of the court to move Marion within 24-23 as Paragould called for time. Miller found Bullins with the set's tying point after the stoppage, and Marion got to set point when the Rams hit another one wide. Marion clinched victory when Miller set Shinabery, who sent a kill cross court and over the net that went off one Rams' hands and near the bleachers as the Pats celebrated a dramatic win. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Greene County Tech (8-2 overall, 3-1 5A East) Thursday evening at Fidelity Bank Arena as the teams continue 5A East conference play. The evening begins at 4:30 p.m. With a junior high varsity match of two sets, followed by a high school junior varsity match, then the three-out-of-five varsity match. The Greene County Tech match will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 9/12 Marion 3, Paragould 0 Valley View 3, Greene County Tech 0 Searcy 3, W. Memphis 1 Batesville 3, Nettleton 1 5A EAST RESULTS AFTER 9/12 Marion 4-0 Valley View 3-1 Greene Co. Tech 3-1 Batesville 2-2 Nettleton 2-2 Paragould 1-3 Searcy 1-3 W. Memphis 0-4 5A EAST SCHEDULE FOR 9/14 Greene Co. Tech at Marion (Fidelity Bank Arena) Paragould at Nettleton W. Memphis at Valley View Batesville at Searcy