Marion volleyball coach Lisa Beasley sets a series of goals for all of her teams during the preseason. First is generally qualifying for the state tournament, which Marion has done 22 times in the past 24 seasons. Second is winning the conference title, which gives the Patriots a No. 1 playoff seed, and about as good a draw as you could have in a state tournament that features so many strong programs across the state. Tuesday night, Marion officially checked off the first box, sweeping West Memphis for a spot in this year's state tournament in Searcy. Thursday night, Marion hit the second box. The Patriots (19-6-1 overall, 11-0 5A East) downed Paragould at 3M Transit Arena in three sets (25-21, 25-22, and 25-14) to officially clinch no worse than a share of this year's 5A East conference title, as well as the No. 1 seed in the state tournament, which opens on October 24 at Searcy's brand-new arena. The Patriots open their run at the state tournament at 4 p.m. On October 24 against the No. 4 seed from the 5A Central, currently projected to be Sylvan Hills. “This special thing about this group we have this year when they know it's a big game, or they have to have it, they have this confidence about them that they can get it done,” said Beasley after the Paragould match. “It's made me feel a lot more at ease than in years past. They always play hard, and their volleyball IQ and competitiveness are second to none. They take coaching well. I'm glad we won the conference, but I'm not surprised because they wouldn't be denied.” Paragould (17-7, 7-4) wasn't simply present for Marion's coronation on Thursday night, however. The Rams have reentered the conference title picture, and are firmly in playoff position after six straight conference victories, including Tuesday night over Valley View. The Pats and Rams punched and counter-punched throughout the first set, splitting the first 22 points of the opener before three straight Paragould points gave the visitors the first big lead of the night. Marion rallied to tie it at 17 when sophomore Kennedy Bullins served an ace, junior Maggie Miller found freshman Kendall Brown for a kill, and the Pats finally got even when Brown slammed back a block at the net to tie the set at 17. Kills from sophomore Kaitlyn Austin and Brown pushed the Pats in front 20-18 to force a Paragould timeout, and Marion earned a hard-fought set down the stretch when sophomore Taylor Chamness served an ace, Miller set Bullins for a kill, and Paragould hit a pair of balls out to give the hosts a four-point victory. Paragould hit the court fast in the second set, scoring the first three points before Bullins blocked three Ram kill attempts in a row to give the Pats a 4-3 lead. Bullins's blocks sparked a 9-1 Marion run, capped off by a Miller ace, that gave the Pats a 10-4 lead and forced a Ram timeout. Miller served an ace immediately following the stoppage before Bullins pounded another block, and the Marion lead hit nine points on a wide Paragould kill attempt. But Paragould pushed back, ripping off six consecutive points in the second set to work within 18-14 as Beasley called for time. A Brown kill and an Abbi Simmons ace helped Marion go back up by six points at 20-14, but Paragould got within 24-22 late before Miller set Brown for the set-clinching kill. Miller set Brown and Austin for two of the first three points of the third and deciding set, and the Marion lead was 9-3 following an ace by Miller, an Alexa Shinabery kill, and a Bullins kill. But Paragould worked within 11-9 later in the set, which is when Miller's passing took center stage with the league title on the line. The 2022 all-conference performer kept Marion's offense moving, setting Brown and Austin twice, and Shinabery once, leading to another Simmons ace, and when Bullins slammed home a kill for a 19-11 lead, Paragould called for time. Shinabery registered a kill, Bullins blocked a shot, and when Miller hit Brown to close out an 11-point conquest in the third set, Marion celebrated a season sweep of Paragould and the league title. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion plays its final two road conference matches next week, beginning on Tuesday at Greene County Tech, followed by a trip to Searcy on Thursday afternoon. Each contest will begin at 4:30 p.m., and both will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube Channel. The Patriots close out their 2023 regular-season schedule the following week with home matches with Batesville and Jonesboro. MARION CONFERENCE TITLE HISTORY Marion earned its first conference title in school history in 2001 with a sterling 9-1 final league record. The Pats repeated as league champs in '02 while advancing to the state quarterfinals. Marion climbed the conference mountain again in 2006, winning their league title and playing for its first state championship later that fall. Following conference titles in 2007 and 2009, Marion laid waste to the competition in 2010 and 2011, winning 28 straight conference games for back-to-back league titles, and Class 6A state championships. The Patriots earned three straight league championships and top playoff seeds from 2014-2016. Marion played for the state title all three of those seasons, winning the top prize in 2015. Eight seniors led the 2021 Patriots to the 5A East title with a 14-0 record, and Marion made the state semifinals that season. FAMILIAR FEELING The 2023 league crown is the second for juniors Maggie Miller and Alexa Shinabery, who played all season on the 2021 Patriots, who finished 27-2 and earned that year's 5A East title. STATE TOURNAMENT INFO Marion will make its 22nd state tournament appearance in 24 seasons later this month when the Patriots open their run at Searcy. The fun begins at 4 p.m., Tuesday, October 24 against the 5A Central's No. 4 seed. The winner of that game advances to the state quarterfinals to play the winner of the south's second seed and the west's No. 3 finisher, and that game will be played at 2 p.m. Should Marion make the state semifinals for the second time in three years, the Pats would play at 1 p.m., Thursday, October 26. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 10/5 Marion 3, Paragould 0 Valley View 3, Greene Co. Tech 0 Batesville 3, Nettleton 0 Searcy beat West Memphis 5A EAST STANDINGS Marion 11-0*^ Valley View 8-3 Paragould 7-4 Batesville 6-5 Greene Co. Tech 5-6 Nettleton 3-8 Searcy 3-8 W. Memphis 1-10 ^clinched conference title *clinched playoff berth