Anyone concerned about how the Marion volleyball team was going to respond to its first conference loss in almost two seasons got a big clue on Tuesday evening inside 3M Transit Arena. And just in time for the renewal of the more fierce rivalries in the region. Hosting league rival Paragould, Marion (19-5-1 overall, 11-1 5A East) got back to its winning formula to turn away the Rams in consecutive sets (25-22, 25-8, and 25-21). The victory keeps the Patriots all alone in first place in the 5A East race with that 11-1 mark, but Marion travels on Thursday to second-place Valley View, which is 10-2 in league play. A Blazer victory on Thursday forces a first-place tie for the 5A East lead, and deciding the No. 1 playoff seed could come down to tiebreakers should the schools finish the year tied. Marion left its mark on Paragould Tuesday evening by serving 10 aces, four apiece from Abby Simmons and Kendall Brown. Simmons got the Pats started in a big way, serving three aces in a row in the opening set to stake the hosts to a 4-0 lead. But Paragould settled in from there, fighting to take the lead throughout the opening stanza, including 17-15 in the later stages of the opener. That's when Marion scored three points in a row on a Kendall Brown kill, a Maggie Miller kill, and a hitting error that gave the Pats an 18-17 lead and forced a Paragould timeout. The Ram response was swift, as PHS ripped off five of the next seven points for a 22-20 lead. However, Marion got even when Marlee Williams threw down a kill on a free ball for a 23-22 lead, and Brown played closer, coming up with a kill and a block to give the Pats a dramatic win in set No. 1. The momentum carried into the second set and never truly subsided. The Pats scored the first five points of the frame, including kills from Brown and Alexa Shinabery, to force a PHS timeout. Marion almost immediately went back on the offensive, stacking six points in a row after the initial Paragould point, keyed by three Brown kills and two from Kaitlyn Austin as the hosts led 11-1. Leading 16-5, Brown served three aces in a row for a 19-5 Marion lead, and the Pats closed out as Williams, Austin, Aynslee Coad, and Brown tallied kills to close out a 17-point romp. Marion hit the first run of the third set, rolling off six of seven points, highlighted by two kills apiece by Brown and Austin, one by Reese Goodwin, and a Shinabery ace, and when Brinkley served an ace, the Pat advantage was 10-5. Marion's lead hit 19-11 following an Austin kill, but PHS worked back within 21-17 and 23-20 late before Brinkley hit Williams for the final point and a four-point victory. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion travels on Thursday to Valley View for a massive 5A East contest that you can watch for free on MarionPatriots.com, on the MPAN YouTube channel, or on the MPAN mobile app. The evening begins at 4:30 p.m., with the varsity contest likely to begin around 6:15 p.m. 5A EAST STANDINGS ON 10/9 Marion 11-1 Valley View 10-2 Mountain Home 9-3 Greene Co. Tech 8-4 Batesville 6-6 Paragould 4-8 W. Memphis 2-10 Nettleton 1-11 Searcy 0-12 5A EAST GAMES ON 10/10 Marion at Valley View Greene Co. Tech at Paragould Nettleton at Batesville Searcy at W. Memphis Mountain Home is open. rrrr