By JASON TIDD

Staff writer

Six seniors and two strong runs were not enough for the Lady Warriors to overcome early deficits in a season-ending first round substate loss at home Saturday.

Marion lost to Herington in three close sets, 25-20, 25-27, 23-25, after going up big in the first and fighting back with late runs in the second and third.

Marion never trailed and the score was never tied after the Lady Warriors scored the first point in the first set.

“They were really fired up and excited, which means everything works good,” coach Brea Campbell said. “When that happens, they can be unstoppable.”

After going up 20-12 in the first set, communications problems set in, including multiple players going to the same ball.

“There was not a lot of energy,” Campbell said. “It’s hard to play in a really loud gym. Maybe we’re talking, but just not loud enough. Then they’re getting frustrated. It’s easy to get down in volleyball.”

The eight-point lead was the largest Marion would enjoy in the entire match.

Herington made a run late in the first set, carrying momentum over into the start of the second.

“We let up a little bit too much, and then we carried that into the next match,” Campbell said. “We just got down a little too early in both of those last two sets.”

The Lady Railers jumped out to a 15-8 lead before the Lady Warriors responded with a six-point rally under senior Kourtney Hansen’s serving.

The teams traded scores until Marion took its first lead of the match at 20-19 after a five-point run on senior Jessi Lewman’s serves.

With the match tied at 24, Herington took an extra point win, 27-25, forcing a third set.

Marion again dug an early hole, down 4-11, before Herington built up a 21-13 lead.

“Volleyball is 80 percent momentum, and that’s really what we were lacking for a little while, so that’s where that hole came from,” Campbell said.

The Lady Warriors fought back with a five-point rally that included scoring off hits by senior Alli Molleker and Hansen and a serve by sophomore Chloe Burkholder. Another three-point run off three hits by Lewman and senior Bailey Baker made the score 23-24.

One final score by Herington ended Marion’s season. Herington later lost in semifinals to Olpe, 25-18, 25-15.

“They had great comebacks in both of them, so you can’t take that away from them,” Campbell said. “I’m still really proud of them.”

Seniors on the team included Hansen, Lewman, Molleker, Baker, Sam Richmond, and Courtney Herzet. Five of six seniors started, and the sixth rotated in.

“That’s a hard group to lose,” Campbell said. “They are a great group of kids, great athletes, and they are just really wonderful people and I was very blessed to have them on the team.”