PARAGOULD --- High school volleyball conference championships are often decided in October, and this year's edition of Marion volleyball has taken that to heart. The Patriots tightened their hold on a potential second consecutive 5A East title last Thursday night by winning the last three sets to top state tournament contender Greene County Tech inside Eagle Arena in four sets (22-25, 25-15, 26-24, and 25-23). The Pats kept their eyes on the prize Tuesday night, topping Nettleton in three sets (25-12, 25-16, and 25-22) back at home in 3M Transit Arena. Marion is now 15-3 overall in 2024 with a sterling 10-0 mark in the 5A East, and coupled with Valley View's surprising loss last Thursday evening at Batesville, the Pats are now two games ahead of the Blazers with six conference matches left, including a big one on October 10 when Marion visits Valley View. Marion topped Valley View in five sets at home on September 16. MARION 3, GREENE CO. TECH 1 Marion certainly came up with some intangible activity in winning the last three sets at Eagle Arena, led by sophomore Kendall Brown's 22 kills, senior Maggie Miller's 26 assists, Abbigale Simmons led Marion with 27 digs. Kaitlyn Austin recorded 11 kills, 17 digs, and served two aces. Greene County Tech (10-4, 6-3) got 17 kills from Miyah Butler, while Weslyn Burnside finished with 11 for the Eagles. The teams split the first 28 points of the first set with neither side taking more than a three-point lead until the Eagles stacked three in a row for a 17-14 lead to force a Marion timeout. Austin and Brown rolled up two kills apiece following the stoppage to help Marion tie the set at 21 apiece. Butler and Burnside came up with kills to give the Eagles a two-point lead, and Tech finished off a thrilling three-point victory. But Marion's response was swift in the second set, breaking a 7-all tie when Alexa Shinabery, Brown, and Austin came up with kills as Marion took an 11-7 lead to force a Tech timeout. The Patriot run continued from there as Miller handed out seven assists in the second stanza alone, including to Austin that gave Marion its first double-digit lead at 21-11 as the Pats coasted to a 10-point conquest in the second frame. GCT scored eight of the first 12 points in the crucial third set, but following a Marion timeout, the Pats got going behind the deft passing of Miller and Claire Brinkley, who combined to hand out 16 assists in the third set. Brinkley connected twice with Marlee Williams, while Miller hit Brown and Austin during a 10-1 Marion run that gave the Pats a 14-9 advantage. The Patriot lead hit 10 points (19-9) following a Brown block, but the Eagles woke up from there, getting three kills and two block points from Butler and three kills from Burnside to spark a 15-4 run that wound up with the Eagles tying the score at 24 in the late stages of the third frame. But Marion closed out Tech behind a Williams kill and a Brown block point for a dramatic two-point set win. The Pats started fast in the fourth frame, getting two kills apiece from Shinabery, Austin, and Brown, and when Reese Goodwin logged a kill, Marion led 13-8 as Tech called for time. From there, the Eagles responded quickly, scoring eight of the next 11 points to tie the frame at 16. The Eagles took advantage of a pair of Marion hitting errors and a serving miscue to take a 23-21 lead late in the fourth set. However, Marion got back-to-back kills from Austin, a Brown block point, and a Miller kill to come up with the final four points to clinch a tight four-set conquest. MARION 3, NETTLETON 0 The Pats won their 24th consecutive league match on Tuesday evening by topping the Raiders in straight sets. Kendall Brown stacked a team-high 14 kills for the Pats while Alexa Shinabery finished with 11. Marion served 10 aces against Nettleton, led by five by Maggie Miller, a pair from Shinabery and one each from Abbigale Simmons, Brown, and Kaitlyn Austin. Simmons and Austin led the way with 14 digs apiece, while Claire Brinkley stacked 13 and Miller recorded 10. Miller and Brinkley combined to hand out 27 of Marion's 43 assists and the Pats made just two errors on serve receive. The Pats started fast in the opening frame, scoring the first four points on a pair of Miller-to-Brown connections and two kills by Shinabery from Brinkley. Marion claimed its first double-digit lead at 14-4 following a Nettleton error and the Pats twice took a 13-point lead, including the final tally. The second set proved more competitive throughout as the hosts held a slim 9-8 lead before the Pats ripped off six of the following eight points to take control of that frame. The run began with a Shinabery kill, followed by a pair of Nettleton errors, then Brinkley hit Brown for a kill which Brown followed with a block, then a Miller ace and an NHS error gave Marion a 15-9 lead as the visitors called time. Brinkley handed out assists on Marion's final three points, hitting Reese Goodwin twice for kills and Shinabery once to help the hosts close a tidy nine-point conquest. The Pats stayed sharp in set No. 3, scoring the first six points. Simmons opened the run with a Simmons ace, followed by three Shinabery kills in a row, and Miller gave the Pats an 8-1 lead with an ace that led to a Nettleton timeout. The hosts took their initial double-digit lead (13-3) of the third set when Miller hit Austin for a kill, and the Pats led by as many as 13 points at 20-7 when Brown served an ace before Marion closed out Nettleton when Brinkley hit Marlee Williams for a kill. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion plays at Batesville on Thursday afternoon, and you can watch for free on the MPAN YouTube channel, the MPAN mobile app, or on MarionPatriots.com. The evening begins at 4:30 p.m., with the varsity contest slated to begin around 6:30. 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 10/2 Marion 10-0 Valley View 8-2 Mountain Home 7-3 Greene Co. Tech 6-4 Batesville 5-5 Paragould 3-7 W. Memphis 2-8 Nettleton 1-9 Searcy 0-10