The 2023 Marion High School volleyball team recorded a 24-7-1 record this fall, highlighted by an outright 5A East conference title, this year's River City Tournament title, and a third straight state quarterfinal appearance. As a result, seven Patriots earned postseason awards for their excellent performances throughout the season. Marion junior Maggie Miller and sophomore Kennedy Bullins earned two of the 5A East's coveted eight all-state selections. Junior Alexa Shinabery, sophomores Kaitlyn Austin and Abbigale Simmons, and freshman Kendall Brown joined Miller and Bullins on the 5A East all-conference list. Marion head coach Lisa Beasley earned the 5A East's Outstanding Coach of the Year for the 12th time. Additionally, Austin, Bullins, and Miller earned AVCA phenom honors, while Bullins landed on the all-state tournament team. Miller's second season as a starter was a memorable one, as the junior broke the school's all-time assists record in October. She finished the 2023 volleyball season with a team-high 888 assists, giving her 1,774 in her three-year career. The two-time all-conference performer also served a team-high 54 aces this fall, and she racked up 328 digs and stacked 65 kills. Bullins is on her way to becoming one of the more decorated Marion volleyball players of all time, earning her second all-state nod in as many years. The sophomore paced this year's Patriots with 371 kills and 68 blocks, and she ranked fourth in aces (29) and sixth in digs (129). Shinabery's third season on the varsity team was a prosperous one, as the junior did a little bit of everything for Marion. Shinabery finished fourth on this year's club in digs (261), kills (173), assists (25), and blocks (17). Austin produced an excellent freshman season as Marion's libero in 2022, but the sophomore blossomed this season playing most of the team's rotations. Austin's 44 aces were good for second on this year's Marion stat sheet, while her 199 kills ranked third. She was also second in digs (351) and third in assists (26). Simmons earned Marion's libero position with strong play during summer camps and workouts and never looked back, amassing a team-best 404 digs. The all-league selection also ranked third with 41 assists and second with 58 assists. Brown worked with the varsity team during the off-season and dazzled opposing coaches and teams alike. The ninth-grader finished second for the 2023 Patriots in kills (250) and blocks (55) to earn All-5A East honors. Beasley has done it all in her 27 seasons at the helm of Marion Volleyball. The Paragould native has guided her teams to 12 conference championships since the program's inception in 1996. Marion has played for seven titles under Beasley, winning it all in 2010, 2011, and 2015. Beasley's Patriots have qualified for the state tournament in 22 of the past 24 seasons. The 2023 Marion Patriots started their season with a bang, beating perennial state tournament team Beebe in the season opener before winning this year's River City Classic in Bartlett, Tennessee as a No. 7 seed the last weekend of August. Marion landed on the map in a big way on August 29, outlasting defending state runners-up and 5A East champion Valley View inside 3M Transit Arena in five sets to take early control of this year's conference title chase. The Patriots finished their first voyage through league play 7-0 before a competitive showing at the annual MTXE Classic in Hot Springs. Marion put the 5A East in a stranglehold on September 26, vanquishing Valley View in straight sets on the road, improving to 8-0 in league action. The Pats punched their ticket to the state tournament in an October 3 victory at West Memphis, and Marion clinched the No. 1 playoff seed and outright conference title with an October 5 home victory over Paragould. At the state tournament in Searcy, Marion ousted 5A Central outfit Sylvan Hills in three sets in the opening round before losing to eventual state runners-up Greenwood in the quarterfinal. Benton repeated as state champion on Saturday, October 28, beating Greenwood in five sets.