WYNNE --- Marion volleyball has logged crucial victories over some top-tier programs over the past two seasons, but one club has eluded the Patriots' grasp. Until Monday night. That's when Marion took its show about 40 miles west to Wynne's Yellowjacket Arena and opened its 2024 season with a straight-sets victory (26-24, 25-23, and 25-14) over a strong Yellowjacket club that has advanced to the Class 4A state tournament the past three years, and the quarterfinals each of the past two seasons. Marion (1-0 overall) topped the 'Jackets behind sophomore all-conference performer Kendall Brown's 13 kills with two blocks and an ace, while junior all-leaguer Kaitlyn Austin finished with five kills and two blocks. Senior all-state performer Maggie Miller racked up 14 assists and two kills, while sophomore Claire Brinkley logged a team-high 16 assists. Senior All-5A East baller Alexa Shinabery stacked four kills with 10 digs, and junior Aynslee Coad recorded eight kills and a block. Junior all-conference honoree Abbigale Simmons racked up a team-high 20 digs with an assist and an ace. Also notable was junior all-state performer Kennedy Bullins making her season debut and finishing with six kills and two blocks. The first set was a nip-and-tuck battle throughout until Marion ripped off five straight points for a 16-10 lead. The run started when Bullins blocked a Yellowjacket shot at the net for a Patriot point, followed by a Brown block, and when sophomore Marlee Williams and Austin recorded back-to-back points, the Pats had their six-point lead. Marion's advantage was 24-17 late in the set when Wynne hit the comeback trail, scoring six straight points to crawl within a point and force a Patriot timeout. But the Yellowjackets tied the set with the first point exiting the stoppage, setting the stage for points from Austin and Bullins to give Marion a dramatic 26-24 conquest. The Pats rode that momentum into the second stanza, taking advantage of a pair of Wynne hitting errors for an early 2-0 lead, leading to Brinkley finding Williams for a kill, and a Brinkley ace, and after Wynne was whistled for a net violation, Marion had scored the first five points of the second set. But the Yellowjackets again proved resilient, tying the set at 11, leading to Brown turning a pair of Miller passes into points, while also blocking two shots to push the Pats back in front 17-12. Down the stretch, Wynne got as close as a point three times, but Miller set Williams and Bullins to give Marion the cushion it needed for a two-point win. The Pats exploded out of the gates in the third set, picking up kills from Miller, Brown, Coad, Williams, and Austin, the latter of which gave the Pats an 8-2 bulge. The Pats opened up their first double-digit lead (15-5) when Austin served an ace, and Marion led by as many as 14 points in the third set (20-6) before Miller set Brown and Bullins to clinch victory. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Beebe beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27 inside 3M Transit Arena for a junior varsity/varsity non-conference date. Tickets will be sold at the door, and you can watch the game for free on MarionPatriots.com, the MPAN YouTube channel, and on the MPAN mobile app.