This is why they don’t play in the arena

This is why they don’t play in the arena

There’s a certain charm when you walk into Patriot Volleyball Gym at Marion Middle School.

The outside walls of the building don’t suggest anything special on the inside, though the three state championship trophies and countless other awards surely catch your eye upon entering the gym.

The walls surrounding the court itself is littered with boards boasting of Marion’s rich volleyball tradition.

If you’re not there for a game, then you would probably see it as just another gym at just another school in Anytown, Arkansas.

But something happens on game days when the Lady Pats take the newly-redone floor to do battle.

Marion Volleyball Gym somehow morphs into Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium or Madison Square Garden and the Lady Pats, already one of the top volleyball programs in the state, somehow jump up a notch.

So, while the gym may not have the seating capacity, parking and general space for walking around and socializing of Marion’s stunning Patriot Arena, it’s easy to forget that there’s more to a home-court advantage than what meets the eye.

“Some people always ask why we don’t play at the arena,” says Marion head coach Lisa Beasley as she’s surrounded by celebrating players, fans, parents and students after handing Valley View its first loss of 2016. “This is why we like it here. We wouldn’t have this type of atmosphere in the arena.

There’s tradition here when you look at the walls, the trophy cases, the photos, the banners.

Tonight, we had the bleachers packed out, people are standing around the court. This is what it’s all about.”

Marion vanquished Valley View last night in straight sets, handing the Lady Blazers its first loss of 2016 in front of crowd that was well over capacity (Oh, hello there, fire marshall!), while those fans yelled, screamed and affected every, single point.

At the epicenter of the madness is “The Trench,” Marion’s student section that makes its home in the northeast corner of the gym.

Last night, The Trench wore black to the match and was invested all night in the proceedings.

“I can’t even put it into words, it was so awesome,” said Marion senior Sara Betts. “I felt like our whole town was here, and they were so close to us. It seemed like they were involved in every point, they’re cheering for us, fighting for us. It really felt like they were out there with us.”

The Trench regularly name-checks Harambe, the gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo that was murdered over the summer, and enjoys dancing along to whatever music Marion’s public address announcer Landon West cues up in between sets.

“You’ve got a huge student section that came out full-force tonight. What else can you ask for?”

Beasley says of her raucous backers.

All of this on a Tuesday school night. This group was able to coordinate a theme, execute it, affect the game and catch the attention of a future Division 1 volleyball player and the admiration of a three-time state champion volleyball coach. If there’s a better student section in Arkansas, then I haven’t seen it.

Making the gym even more dangerous is a keen understanding of the game by the fans that is even more impressive.

Anytime Valley View threatened to take off on a run, here comes the partisan Marion crowd to life, clapping and yelling, supporting their team.

As senior Hope Phipps roamed the back line of the Marion defense like a free safety and got to dig after dig, the fans noticed.

When senior Annalee Parker hit the floor to keep a ball alive in the second set, Marion’s number 12 got the people in the front row out of their seats to acknowledge her hustle.

When Gabi Catt makes another impossible play to turn the tide to her team and she lets out a primal scream, she’s drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

Okay, that’s not actually true. Catt is really fired up during these things, but you see my point. The fans love it.

It was telling that seconds after breaking down the team huddle with their coaches, that the Lady Pats took off to the corner of the building which houses The Trench and recited their celebratory chant of “I believe that we just won.”

Don’t worry, The Trench wasn’t on the floor. They were where they were supposed to be. It wasn’t one of those things.

So maybe the gym isn’t for you. I understand that.

I felt the same way when I first started covering the team.

“Why do they even have an arena if they’re just going to play volleyball at the middle school,” I’d ask as I waited for warm-ups to end so that I could go use the bathroom and not get decapitated by an errant kill.

But by the end of the 2013 season, I was hooked. This was the place for Marion volleyball and any other place would be wrong.

It may not even be noticeable during a game against Forrest City or Blytheville. But for a big game?

Against a fellow state title contender? When you really want to see what that challenger is about when Marion has scored five straight and now these people will never shut up and your ears will be ringing all night? That’s the mystique of Patriot Volleyball Gym, and that’s why they don’t play in the arena.

Chuck’’s Corrnerr

By Chuck Liiviingstton