MOUNTAIN HOME --- Mountain Home's home basketball and volleyball gym, affectionately known around the state as “The Hangar,” has earned a reputation as one of the more difficult places for visiting teams to visit in Arkansas. Playing in front of enthusiastic home crowds is part of the equation, as is the usual parade of competitive teams that inhabit the gym, which tends to create that atmosphere. Which made it the perfect site for Marion's biggest road win of the season on Monday night. The Patriots kicked off a three-match week with a four-set victory (25-17, 25-20, 25-27, and 25-14) inside the Hangar on Monday night to improve to 12-3 overall, while remaining flawless in 5A East play at 7-0. Marion hosts Searcy on Tuesday evening at 3M Transit Arena for a junior varsity and varsity match, and the Patriots return to the road on Thursday when they travel to play Greene County Tech. The Searcy and Greene County Tech contests will be broadcast for free on MarionPatriots.com and on the MPAN YouTube channel and mobile app. The first three sets felt like a state tournament atmosphere as two of the top programs in the league clashed. The teams split the first 24 points of the opening set with each side only taking a two-point lead once during that stretch. Marion made its move following that spurt as Kendall Brown came up with two kills, while Kennedy Bullins notched a kill and a block, and after a Mountain Home hitting error, the Pats had claimed a 19-12 lead in the opening frame, paving the way for an eight-point victory and a 1-0 lead in the match. Marion and Mountain Home split the opening 28 points of the second stanza, and again Marion went on the first run as Maggie Miller set Brown, Alexa Shinabery, and Bullins for kills, the latter giving the Pats an 18-15 lead to force a Mountain home timeout. But the Bombers scored the first three points after the stoppage to tie the set at 18, setting the stage for block points from Brown and Bullins, kills from Brown and Marlee Williams, and when Kaitlyn Austin sent a kill down the line in front of the Mountain Home bench area, Marion won set No. 2 25-20 for a 2-0 lead in the match. Marion got off the blocks in a hurry in the potentially deciding third set, scoring the first four points of the frame on an Abbigale Simmons ace, and back-to-back points by Brown. But the Bombers battled back from there, pulling even at 6 apiece as the teams settled in. Mountain Home took a late 21-20 lead on an Anna McCarn kill to force a Marion timeout, and the Patriots responded with a Brown block and kills from Bullins, Austin, and Brown to take a 25-24 advantage, leaving the visitors one point away from victory. But again the Bombers responded, scoring the last three points to earn a 27-25 victory and force a fourth set. With a second chance to close out, Marion put together one of its better frames of the season, scoring the first five points on a Simmons ace, kills from Austin and Brown, and a pair of Bomber hitting errors. Following a Shinabery ace and a hitting error, Marion's lead was 10-4 as the hosts called for time. Marion took its first double-digit lead of the set at 22-12 when Claire Brinkley hit Brown for a kill, followed by a Bullins block, a Brown ace, and Bullins packed the Bombers up for good with a kill that clinched Marion's 11-point conquest. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Searcy Tuesday afternoon inside 3M Transit Arena for a junior varsity and varsity match which begins at 4:30 p.m. You can watch the Searcy match for free on MarionPatriots.com or on the MPAN YouTube channel or on the MPAN mobile app. 5A EAST RESULTS FROM 9/23 Marion 3, Mountain Home 1 Greene Co. Tech 3, Batesville 1 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 9/24 SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Marion 7-0 Greene Co. Tech 6-1 Valley View 6-1 Mountain Home 4-3 Batesville 4-4 Paragould 2-5 Nettleton 1-5 Searcy 0-6 W. Memphis 0-6 Top four teams make state tournament in Van Buren. 5A EAST MATCHES ON 9/24 Searcy at Marion Greene Co. Tech at Valley View Paragould at W. Memphis Nettleton at Mountain Home Batesville is open.