Staff writer
Coach Deanna Thierolf said her team can be prone to letdowns during extended periods of games, but they never quit playing hard.
“They play with so much emotion,” she said. “I just love that about them.”
On senior night Tuesday, the team had its share of difficulties, winning 2-0 against Inman High School, and losing by the same margin to Remington High. Remington came to Marion with a 16-2 record.
Marion played Remington closely in both games, but small errors cost the Warriors early.
In the first game, a 7-2 Remington run turned a 9-10 deficit to an 11-17 score, and even scoring through the end left Marion on the losing end, 19-25.
The Warriors spotted Remington four points at the beginning of the second game, but fought back to tie the score five times, even leading at 12-11.
With the game tied at 14, Remington scored eight straight to lead 22-14.
“There was about four series in a row where we just shot ourselves in the foot,” she said. “When we play good teams we have just got to be clean on our passes, and we weren’t tonight.”
The Warriors did not quit though, going on an 8-2 run of their own, only to come up short, 22-25.
“We expect to win,” senior Kelli Hess said. “It’s disappointing, so we’re ready to do better.”
In the first matchup against Inman, the Warriors gave up six points to begin the game, but came back to tie the game at 14, 15, and 16.
Behind the service of junior Julia Hall, Marion added six straight to a 17-16 lead, going on to finish 25-17.
The Warriors controlled the second game, getting out to a 16-7 lead, eventually finishing the win 25-20.
Thierolf said the team came out flat in warm-ups, but was happy to get a win.
“A win is a win,” she said. “We don’t care how we get a win, but we’re going into a tournament Saturday, and we can’t come out flat against anybody.”
The Warriors play next beginning at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Belle Plaine tournament.