Marion volleyball continues mastery of its Class 5A foes

MARION — Long day. And an ever-lengthening resume for the Marion Wolves.

Class 4A second-ranked Marion came out of the strongest pool, survived a pair of three-set thrillers in bracket play and claimed the Linn-Mar Invitational volleyball tournament championship Saturday at Linn-Mar High School.

“We’re sneaky,” libero Natalee Hartman said. “We just, we’re just like Marion, you know?”

“Just Marion” is just fine. The Wolves (15-1) have crafted quite a resume through the first three weeks of the season, one that includes a 10-0 mark against 5A competition.

That includes six wins against big-school ranked teams, two against current No. 1 Pleasant Valley on Saturday.

The Wolves didn’t suffer a letdown after their three-set semifinal win over PV. They followed it with another dandy, 21-16, 21-23, 15-13 over 3A No. 2 Davenport Assumption.

Assumption (13-5) scored four straight points to tie the third set at 13. After a missed Knights serve, Michaela Goad closed it out with a block to send the Wolves home with the title.

“(Coach Roxanne) Paulsen told me to believe in my teammates, to believe in myself,” Goad said. “We came out after that last timeout and said, ‘Let’s do this.’”

Marion got to championship point in the second set against Assumption, erasing a 20-18 deficit with three straight points — kills by Avery Van Hook and Sophia Paulsen and a block by Goad.

But the Knights were resilient, answering with three in a row to extend the match to a winner-take-all Game 3.

Marion got through a loaded pool, topping Solon (21-10, 21-11), Pleasant Valley (21-13, 15-21, 22-20) and Linn-Mar (21-13, 21-16).

After sweeping Dubuque Hempstead in the quarterfinals, a rematch with Pleasant Valley awaited in the semis.

The Wolves dropped the opener and faced a 19-18 deficit in Game 2. After a PV ball-handling error tied it, Marion got a kill from Paulsen and a block from Goad to knot the match at a set apiece.

Pleasant Valley enjoyed leads of 10-6 and 11-7 in the finale before Marion answered.

A kill by Peyton Johnson gave the Wolves match point at 14-13. Pleasant Valley had its own chance to win at 15-14, but Joslynn Mehaffy’s kill kept the Wolves alive.

A net violation got Marion to the brink, then Hope Vanderlinden’s tip sent the Wolves to the finals.

And they won it, closing out an 11-hour work day.

“All day long, our energy never wavered,” Hartman said. “We kept encouraging each other.

“I’ve never won this tournament before. I’m so happy.”

Linn-Mar Invitational Volleyball Tournament

POOL A

Teams — 1. Davenport Assumption 2-1, 2. Rosemount (Minn.) 2-1, 3. Dubuque Hempstead 2-1, 4. Anamosa 0-3.

Dubuque Hempstead def. Anamosa, 21-19, 21-17

Rosemount def. Davenport Assumption, 21-19, 22-20

Davenport Assumption def. Dubuque Hempstead, 21-11, 21-15

Rosemount def. Anamosa, 21-15, 17-21, 15-10

Dubuque Hempstead def. Rosemount, 17-21, 21-12, 15-10

Davenport Assumption def. Anamosa, 21-17, 21-7

POOL B

Teams — 1. Marion 3-0, 2. Pleasant Valley 2-1, 3. Linn-Mar, 4. Solon 0-3.

Marion def. Solon, 21-10, 21-11

Pleasant Valley def. Linn-Mar, 21-15, 21-14

Linn-Mar def. Solon, 21-13, 18-21, 15-11

Marion def. Pleasant Valley, 21-13, 15-21, 22-20

Pleasant Valley def. Solon, 21-9, 21-16

Marion def. Linn-Mar, 21-13, 21-16

POOL C

Teams — 1. Sumner-Fredericksburg 3-0, 2. Center Point-Urbana 2-1, 3. C.R. Kennedy 1-2, 4. Tipton 0-3.

Center Point-Urbana def. C.R. Kennedy, 24-22, 21-19

Sumner-Fredericksburg def. Tipton, 21-13, 21-13

Center Point-Urbana def. Tipton, 21-17, 21-10

Sumner-Fredericksburg def. C.R. Kennedy, 21-16, 21-17

Sumner-Fredericksburg def. Center Point-Urbana, 21-4, 21-19

C.R. Kennedy def. Tipton, 13-21, 21-15, 15-13

CONSOLATION BRACKET

Semifinals

Linn-Mar def. Tipton, 21-15, 21-17

Solon def. Anamosa, 21-14, 21-14

Final

Solon def. Linn-Mar, 21-15, 21-19

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

Quarterfinals

Sumner-Fredericksburg def. C.R. Kennedy, 21-13, 19-21, 15-11

Davenport Assumption def. Center Point-Urbana, 21-6, 21-14

Marion def. Dubuque Hempstead, 21-12, 21-15

Pleasant Valley def. Rosemount (Minn.), 21-4, 21-14

Semifinals

Davenport Assumption def. Sumner-Fredericksburg, 22-20, 21-23, 15-8

Marion def. Pleasant Valley, 22-24, 21-19, 17-15

Final

Marion def. Davenport Assumption, 21-16, 21-23, 15-13

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com