MARION, Texas — Marion spent much of its non-district schedule searching for the right lineup and the identity that would carry it into the matches that mattered most.
Tuesday night, the Bulldogs looked like they may have found it.
Marion opened district play with a 3-1 victory over Jourdanton, knocking off a program that won 28 matches and went 13-1 in district play a season ago behind a balanced attack, relentless defense and the poise to finish when the match tightened in the fourth set.
Marion won set one 27-25, set two 25-11, and set four 25-20 after falling behind 5-1 in the fourth round.
For Marion head coach Bree Holz-Gonzales, the performance represented more than one victory in the district standings.
“They are kind of notably a very good volleyball program,” Holz-Gonzales said. “They had a great senior class. We had a great senior class. I feel like both teams had spent most of this preseason kind of trying to find their identity, and I feel like we took a giant step in the right direction on kind of figuring things out for ourselves.”
That step came after a preseason filled with experimentation.
Holz-Gonzales and the Bulldogs made several lineup changes leading into district play, using the non-district schedule to determine which combinations gave Marion its best chance once the stakes increased.
Against Jourdanton, Marion finally had the opportunity to build a game plan specifically for one opponent.
“We’ve made a lot of changes in this preseason leading up to district — lineup changes,” Holz-Gonzales said. “It felt good to kind of have a true game plan because you play so much in the preseason, you don’t have time to scout everybody and do all the things that you want to do to truly prepare. We had a plan and I felt like we executed [it] really well.”
The numbers reflected that across the floor.
Kelley Williams led Marion with 10 kills and did not commit an attack error on 24 swings, finishing with a .417 hitting percentage. Ellie Shelton added seven kills. Whitley Wiatrak finished with six. Addi Stewart and Lexie Shelton supplied five apiece.
Marion also spread the responsibility of running its offense. Landry Canham finished with a team-high 11 assists while Stewart added eight.
But it was on the defensive side where the Bulldogs’ effort became impossible to miss.
Marion piled up 100 digs over four sets, with Maeleigh McClendon’s 27 leading the way. Stewart added 18. Williams collected 17. Elliott Mergele and Canham finished with eight apiece.
That ability to keep points alive became particularly important when Marion tried to close the door in the fourth set.
The Bulldogs did not get the start they wanted with a chance to finish the match, giving Jourdanton an opening to push back. But rather than allowing the set to unravel and the match to reach a decisive fifth, Marion settled down.
Holz-Gonzales saw one of the clearest examples of that composure in Stewart.
“She stayed very calm,” Holz-Gonzales said. “Even though she’s our setter, she also hits on the front row. I think her calmness really, in intense situations, kind of set the tone for the team. It was like, ‘OK, we’re OK. Our freshmen aren’t freaking out, so we need to be chill too.’”
Stewart’s impact extended well beyond setting.
The freshman finished with five kills without an attack error on 23 attempts, eight assists and 18 digs while staying on the floor throughout the match. Then, with Marion one point from putting away its district opener, Stewart delivered the ace that finished the job.
It was the type of performance Holz-Gonzales had been waiting to see after Stewart experienced the inevitable highs and lows that came with stepping into such a large varsity role as a freshman.
“She’s done a remarkable job,” Holz-Gonzales said. “She’s had her ups and downs this whole preseason, and so to see her kind of really come into her own in this first really important district match was really kind of, for me, it was like, ‘OK, we’re good. She’s good. We’re going to be OK.’
“I was just super proud of her, her ability to just keep her calm, doing everything I ask her to do as a freshman. She’s on the floor every point of the game.”
Marion also made the most of the service line, finishing with five aces against just one service error.
Also, as tends to happen inside Marion’s gym, the building itself made its presence felt.
The Bulldogs’ low ceiling affected several rallies, something Holz-Gonzales joked does not always work in favor of the team that practices underneath it every day.
“Sometimes we’re the people that don’t use it to our advantage,” Holz-Gonzales said. “We practice in here every day, and we still hit balls up to the ceiling. But yeah, the ceiling helped us out a little bit for sure, as always.”
The more important home-court advantage Tuesday came from a Marion team that looked increasingly comfortable with themselves.
After a preseason spent changing lineups, testing combinations and trying to determine what kind of team it could become, Marion entered district play with a plan and executed it against one of the district’s established programs.
Williams gave the Bulldogs efficiency. McClendon anchored a 100-dig defensive effort. Stewart supplied a little bit of everything and remained composed when the fourth set demanded it.
And when the night was over, Marion had more than a 1-0 district record.
It had what Holz-Gonzales had been searching for throughout non-district — a clearer picture of who the Bulldogs can be.
The win improves Marion to 15-16 while Jourdanton falls to 16-13.
Marion looks to extend their three-match win streak this Friday when they host the Universal City Randolph Ro-Hawks.
Around the area:
Seguin (16-17, 4-1) 3, Lehman (8-14) 0
Lady Matadors improve to 4-1 in district play with fourth straight win.
Seguin hosts New Braunfels (19-17, 4-1) this Thursday at 6:30pm.
Floresville (23-9, 1-0) 3, Geronimo Navarro (18-8, 0-1) 0
Navarro seeks a bounce back with La Vernia coming to Geronimo on Thursday at 7pm.