Lady Pats outrace Ponies

Lady Pats outrace Ponies

Bramucci serves 24 straight in win

Sports Editor FORREST CITY –Playing Forrest City on the road did little to slow down the Marion Lady Patriots.

Playing in Mustang Arena for the first time since the fall of 2007, Marion swept the Lady Mustangs, winning three straight sets 25- 4, 25-6 and 25-0.

The third and final set was highlighted by senior Ally Bramucci serving and scoring on the final 24 points of that stanza, the second time that she has done so this season, and the third time for Marion in 2016 as junior Lillian Fogleman also accomplished the feat against Forrest City in Marion back in August.

It was the fourth time Bramucci has done so in her varsity career, including one time each in her sophomore and junior seasons.

“I’m really proud of them. I felt like we really executed well tonight,” said Marion head coach Lisa Beasley, whose team zoomed to 18-1 overall and 11-1 in the 6A/5AEast.

Things started early for Marion as the visitors scored the first 10 points of the match, with Bramucci serving 7 of her team-high 19 aces in that opening run. Bramucci also handed out 11 assists, another team-best total.

Marion’s lead grew to 132 when senior Annalee Parker scored on 2 kills and a block, part of an 8-0 stretch that gave Marion a 21-2 advantage. Parker ended play with 3 kills and 2 digs.

Also in that run was consecutive aces by senior Sara Betts, who served 4 aces, a team-high 5 kills, while also posting 2 digs.

Senior Gabi Catt heated up and served 3 straight aces on the game’s last 3 points to clinch the 25-4 win. Catt served 3 aces, posted 4 kills and had 2 assists.

While Marion’s seniorheavy lineup carried the Lady Pats in the opening set, five juniors and one senior took up the mantle in the middle frame.

That action began with Caroline Brinkley (2 aces, 2 digs) serving 2 aces for the first points in that stanza, and when Maggie Aureli (3 aces, 3 kills and 1 dig) pounded a kill off of a set by Lillian Fogleman (5 aces, 5 assists), Marion led 5-0.

Fogleman was the next player to serve for Marion, and she handed out all 5 of her aces in an 8-0 Lady Patriot run. Claire Moncrief (1 ace, 2 kills and 3 assists) posted a kill in that run, as well.

Aureli was next up for Marion’s last, long run in the second set. It was another 8-0 burst highlighted by 4 aces from senior, while Sarah Thompson (1 ace, 2 kills) and Carly Russell (3 kills and a dig) checked in with two kills apiece in that stretch.

“That group played really well,” Beasley said of her 11th-graders. “They basically did exactly what they were supposed to do, and that’s what maybe made me the happiest in that set was the execution.”

That set the scene for Bramucci’s 24-straight serves in the third set. It could have been 25 consecutive, but Forrest City had the serve first, but it was earned back when Betts posted a kill.

From there, Bramucci handed out 14 aces in that set, while Sarah Burford came up with 3 kills in that frame.

“It’s really difficult to do something like that, especially with the type of serve that she has,” Beasley said of her senior.

“To serve it 24 straight times and not make an error, I mean wow. On top of that, she’s still playing defense for us too. We really score a lot of points off of her serves, and I’m not sure that people realize how many it is actually is, but that was cool to watch tonight.”

The Marion junior varsity was also victorious in Forrest City.

In that set, Brinkley served 10 aces to lead the Lady Pats, while Moncrief led the team with 2 kills.

Moncrief tied with Fogleman for the team lead with 2 assists apiece, while Aureli got to Marion’s only dig in the set.

Russell, Autumn Starling, and Thompson also posted a kill in that set.

Marion will participate in the Arkansas State Playday, which will basically run all day on Saturday. Their first match will be at 9 a.m.

The Lady Pats are at home on Tuesday when they look to avenge their only loss so far this season when they host defending Class 5A champion Valley View, with the 7th grade match beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Valley View defeated Marion in four sets last month in Jonesboro.

By Chuck Livingston