JONESBORO --- Marion entered Tuesday night's all-important 5A East showdown inside Valley View's Blazer Arena knowing what it had to do to maintain the edge that the Patriots earned when they turned away the defending state runners-up and league champs in August. Whatever the thought process was, the actual match likely surpassed even the most optimistic Marion backers' wildest dreams. Marion invaded Blazer Arena on Tuesday night and headed back south with a three-set victory (25-19, 25-21, 25-23) that leaves the Patriots squarely in the driver's seat in this year's 5A East conference title hunt with a flawless 8-0 record as well as the head-to-head tiebreaker over second-place Valley View. “You know, this is such a fun group to coach and they're so competitive,” said Marion coach Lisa Beasley. “I'm just so proud of our fearlessness, our effort, grit, fight, heart, just all of it right now. We had chances tonight to let this one get away and we never let it. I'm a really proud coach.” Marion sophomore Kennedy Bullins amassed a team-high 10 kills at Valley View, while freshman Kendall Brown stacked nine, while juniors Alexa Shinabery and Maggie Miller, and sophomore Kaitlyn Austin finished with five apiece. Sophomore libero Abbi Simmons prowled the back line of the Marion defense to the tune of 24 digs, while sophomore Taylor Chamness logged 14, and Austin recorded 12. Simmons served both of Marion's aces at Valley View, while Brown logged four blocks, sophomore Reese Goodwin tallied three, and Bullins and Miller recorded two each. Miller piled up a match-high 28 assists. Marion scored four out of five points in the opening set, highlighted by kills from Bullins and a Brown block, and when Alexa Shinabery slammed home a kill, Marion's lead was 8-4 as Valley View called for time. But the Blazers worked back and trimmed the Marion lead to three points twice in the opening set behind Bonnie Fagan and Kate Calhoon, but the Pats took control of the opener when Simmons served an ace, Miller set Brown for a kill, and the Pats won the first set when a Valley View hit went wide and out of bounds. The teams split the first 22 points of the second set, but the visitors took over behind Miller, who assisted on three kills from Brown, two by Austin, and one from Bullins as Marion surged ahead 17-11 to force a Valley View timeout. But the Blazers fought back as Fagan logged three kills in a span of five Blazer points, the last of which got the hosts within 20-17. The Blazers stayed within three points until late as Miller logged a kill and found Bullins for the winning kill as the Pats took a commanding two-set lead. "I'm really proud of how we played in some tough spots because it can get away from you if you're not careful," said Beasley. "But our girls are tough, and they just had a lot of volleyball IQ, they kept their wits all the time." The third set was an instant classic as the teams again were tied after 16 points, but Marion put the first run together again starting with a Simmons ace, a pair of Bullins blocks, and when Miller hit Bullins for another kill, Marion's 5-0 run had given it a 13-8 advantage as Valley View called time. That's when the Blazer offense got on track behind Annika Willbanks' 2 kills and 2 more from Fagan. Willbanks' second kill in that run got the hosts within 14-13. A nip-and-tuck battle ensued from there until Marion ripped off three straight points, punctuated by a Shinabery kill that gave Marion a 20-18 advantage. But the Blazers never backed down as Fagan stacked two kills, and when Riley Owen served an ace, Valley View had fought back to tie the game at 23 all as Marion called time. Down the stretch, Austin and Bullins pounded kills to give Marion a dramatic two-point victory in the third set. "I tell this group all the time that I'd put them up against anybody," said Beasley. "We showed a lot of character out here tonight because this is a tough place to play against a great program. I'm just in awe of our team right now.” WHAT'S NEXT? Marion continues its quest for the 5A East league title on Thursday when the Patriots host Nettleton at 3M Transit Arena. The night will begin at 4:30 with a seventh-grade contest, followed by junior high B and A contests, and the high school varsity game will follow that. The game can be watched live on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel and on MarionPatriots.com. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 9/26 Marion 3, Valley View 0 Searcy 3, Greene Co. Tech 1 Paragould 3, Batesville 1 W. Memphis-Nettleton went late 5A EAST STANDINGS AFTER 9/26 GAMES Marion 8-0 Valley View 6-2 Paragould 5-3 Batesville 4-4 Greene Co. Tech 3-5 Nettleton 2-5* Searcy 2-6 W. Memphis 0-7* *W. Memphis-Nettleton final not known