PARAGOULD --- In the decorated history of Marion volleyball, the Patriots have earned 12 conference titles counting this fall's latest crown. Twelve championships is a gaudy number, to be sure, but only eight of them were outright crowns or one where a school finishes atop the standings by a game or more. Marion added a ninth to that total Tuesday night here at Eagle Arena. The Patriots improved to 20-6-1 overall in 2023 and ran their league mark to 12-0 with a four-set victory (25-18, 22-25, 26-24, and 25-19) over Greene County Tech. It's the 15th time in school history that Marion has won 20 or more games, and the third in a row. Marion's loss in the second set at Tech was just the fourth set the Pats have dropped in league action this season. Marion bested Valley View in five sets in August, and the Pats dropped the opening set in late September at Batesville. The visitors enjoyed an early lead Tuesday in Paragould behind junior Maggie Miller, who assisted on five of Marion's first 10 points. Miller hit sophomore Kennedy Bullins twice and freshman Kendall Brown twice during that run, and when Tech hit a ball into the net, Marion's lead was 10-4 as the hosts called time. Sophomores Reese Goodwin and Kaitlyn Austin tallied two kills apiece following the stoppage as Marion's lead hit 19-10, but the Eagles got within 19-15 soon thereafter. From there, Miller set Brown twice, and Bullins, Austin, and Alexa Shinabery one time apiece as Marion captured a seven-point victory in the opener. The second set started in a similar fashion as Austin and Goodwin came up with two kills apiece as Marion led 6-2. The Pats' advantage hit 10-4 following a Brown block, and when Shinabery served an ace for a 13-8 Marion lead, Tech called time. Back-to-back kills by Brown and Bullins pushed the Pats in front 16-12, but Tech ripped off nine of the next 12 points for a 20-19 lead that forced Marion to call time. A Shinabery block preceded a pair of Brown blocks that tied the set at 22, but the Eagles scored the final three points for a dramatic victory to set the stage for a big third set. The teams split the first 10 points of the third stanza, but Marion made the first move when Bullins blocked a kill and tallied a kill of her own. That ushered Miller to the service area, and the junior promptly drilled four aces in a row for a 10-5 lead. But Tech again rallied, tying the set at 21 as Marion called for time. The stoppage did nothing to quell the Eagle attack, however, as the hosts scored the next two points as Marion burnt its final timeout of the frame. That's when the Pats took advantage of a service error to work within one, and when Shinabery delivered an ace, the set was even at 23. A Miller-to-Brown connection gave Marion set point, but a Tech kill tied it again at 24. Then Tech couldn't return a serve over in three hits, and Marion celebrated a dramatic third set win when Miller hit Austin for the deciding point. Tech scored the first three points of set No. 4, but Marion responded by scoring six of the next nine points as Bullins and Austin put up two kills apiece, with Miller's fifth ace of the match tying the score at six each way. Tech enjoyed an 11-10 lead later on but Brown sparked Marion when she came up with a kill that was instantly followed by a block. Miller set Bullins and Shinabery for back-to-back kills and when Bullins slammed home a blocked shot, Marion's 16-13 lead forced Tech to call time. The Eagles got within 20-18 later in the set, but Marion closed out behind Bullins, who came up with a kill and served an ace for a 23-18 lead. Brown finished out Tech with a kill and a block as Marion won in four. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion plays Thursday at Searcy for a junior varsity/varsity match that begins at 4:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. MILLER MOVES UP Entering Tuesday's match at Greene County Tech, Marion junior setter Maggie Miller had tallied a staggering 1,655 assists in her three years as a varsity player. That total is good for second in school history, just behind Sara Wilson's career total of 1,704 assists. Marion has three regular-season games left on its schedule and could play as many as four games at the state tournament. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 10/10 Marion 3, Greene Co. Tech 1 Valley View 3, W. Memphis 0 Batesville 3, Searcy 0 Paragould 3, Nettleton 1 5A EAST STANDINGS Marion 12-0^* Valley View 9-3* Paragould 8-4* Batesville 7-5 Greene Co. Tech 5-7 Nettleton 3-9 Searcy 3-9 W. Memphis 1-11 *clinched state tournament berth ^clinched outright conf. title 5A EAST GAMES ON 10/12 Marion at Searcy Greene Co. Tech at Paragould Nettleton at Valley View Batesville at W. Memphis