POTTSVILLE - In one incredible and unexpected 12-point run it all evaporated for the Marian volleyball team.

The undefeated season, the District 11 championship, and the berth in the PIAA State Tournament were gone.Sure, there were still points to be won in game three after Emily Grube's stunning service run dug the Green Wave out of a huge hole and gave them the lead. And yes, there was still another game Nativity needed to win after that to capture the best-of-five match.But in reality, the Green Wave's 25-23, 16-25, 25-21, 25-20 upset victory in the District 11 Class A title match came down to that one key stretch."That 12-point run turned the entire match around," said Marian coach John "Doc" Fallabel. "You could see the doubt creep into some of our girls after that happened."Grube's run was incredible because no one has done that to the Fillies this season. Not during an unbeaten regular season, not in any of top flight tournaments they competed in this season, and not during their six consecutive postseason wins. The run was unexpected because in the two-plus games it had played up until that point, Nativity had just one run over three points."We were at a scary moment in game three," said Green Wave assistant coach AJ Serina. "Marian was getting really confident. We called a time out and really had to reel in our kids at that point because we looked like we were starting to get down."The moment Serina was referring to came after the teams had split the first two games and Marian had jumped out to a 14-6 lead in game three.By the time Grube was finished serving, Nativity had rallied for an 18-14 lead. A three-point service run Nikki Collevechio late in the game got the Fillies to within 22-21, but the Green Wave rattled off three straight points to end it.Needing a win in game four to stay alive, the Fillies jumped ahead 8-4 behind three kills and a service ace by Marykate Sherkness. But Nativity bounced back to grab a 10-9 advantage and Marian never led again.The Fillies were still within a point at 17-16, but Grube, Emily Kaledas and Elizabeth Shollenberger all won big points at the net down the stretch as Nativity gradually pulled away."Nativity was the better team tonight," said Fallabel, whose team was 3-0 against the Green Wave this season, including a victory just five days earlier in the pool play portion of the tournament. "They played looser and made fewer mistakes."We had so many net calls and service errors. You can't do that against a good team."The Fillies (20-1) were led at the net by Sherkness with 17 kills, Tori Vadyak with 12, Kathleen Reilly with seven and Taylor Mele with six. Mele (17), Cathleen Cataldo (12) and Sherkness (11) were all in double digits in digs. Rachel Krajcirik had 36 assists."I'm heartbroken," said Fallabel. "I might not have any tears right now, but I know I will shed some later."I feel so bad for these girls. They are such a wonderful group. The seven seniors are some of the best kids I've ever had as a coach."While Fallabel was able to delay his tears, several of the Marian seniors weren't able to hold back theirs."I don't know how to describe how disappointing this is," said Mele. "Since the fourth grade, a District championship is all I wanted."This meant everything to us. We had finished second to Nativity three straight years and this was our last chance. It really hurts."Even more than the tangible things, it was the intangible things like unachieved goals, shattered dreams, and unfulfilled dedications that bothered the Fillies the most."I feel numb right now," said Marian setter Rachel Krajcirik. "All the great memories from the season will always feel empty because we came up short tonight."A District championship is all everyone wanted. The fact that we weren't able to fulfill the dedication we made to win it in memory of coach Fallabel's wife [JoAnn Fallabel died suddenly about a month before the season began] makes the loss feel even worse."Nativity, which won its fourth consecutive District 11 title, will now advance to a four-team pool play tournament a week from Saturday against teams from Districts 1, 2 and 12. The top two teams in that tourney will advance to an eight-team State Championship tourney the weekend of Nov. 19-20 in York.