HOMETOWN - Marian's seemingly indestructible volleyball program had its armor slightly dented Monday in a huge match with rival Nativity.

But in the end, the Fillies pulled out yet another memorable victory.As it entered the fifth and final set of a grueling two-hour and five-minute battle with the Green Wave, the Fillies remained poised.It wasn't easy by any stretch, save for the first set in which Marian looked dominating, assured and confident.Nativity, with a pretty impressive volleyball history of its own, wasn't about to buckle to the Fillies' tradition.Instead, Nativity rallied after losing the opening set (25-14) to capture the next two, 25-21 and 28-26.Marian rose to the challenge as all good champions do, however, to pick up a huge 25-17 fourth set win in the Schuylkill League Division II contest.With the tension in the fifth and final set reaching a boiling point in the hot gymnasium, the cream found a way to rise to the top. That was apparent in the sensational play of the Fillies' Jasmine Mooney, Miranda Antiga, Gianna Agosti, Macie Mazalusky and Elena Beckett.All of the afore mentioned had a say in the final set which ended in weird fashion as both teams struggled from the service line before the final point came on a return error giving the Fillies a wild and furious 17-15 decision."Nervous? Of course," said Marian coach John 'Doc' Fallabel, the architect of the Fillie juggernaut. "It's Nativity-Marian, this is what high school volleyball is all about."There were great efforts by the Fillies, especially from Mooney and Agosti. Mooney had 25 kills and eight service aces, while Agosti collected 44 assists. Mazalusky added five kills, two aces and 10 digs, and Toni Galasso chipped in 16 digs."We had a number of first-time starters, and it was our first match of the season," said Fallabel when asked if he was uneasy facing Nativity in the opener.Marian looked like it wasn't missing a beat from a year ago when it won Schuylkill League and District 11 championships, zipping to a 16-8 lead in the initial set and cruising to the victory.Things started to take an about face in the next two sets. Jennifer Daubert's club regrouped and rallied with assurance. Nativity trailed 11-5 in the second set, but took command thanks to the sensational play of Noelle Steele, who kept slamming shots back at the Marian defense, and it paid dividends."We got used to their pace," said Daubert. "We had some problems handling Mooney, who is by far the best player in the league. She's outstanding, her serves hurt us in the first set, but I thought our kids really adjusted and made a great run."In a nip-and-tuck third set, Nativity wouldn't cave and forced seven Marian errors while holding on for a tense 28-26 win. That pushed the Fillies into a corner, but they responded in the fourth set. Marian was clinging to a 16-15 lead, and rode the thundering kills of Mooney, who registered six in the home stretch to force a fifth and deciding game.It was the Green Wave making an early impact in the final set, taking a 3-0 lead on three straight Marian errors, before the Fillies found their composure. Antiga's service ace eventually gave Marian an 11-10 lead. The score was then tied at 11, 14 and 15 before a service error and a return error gave Marian its season opening win.NO EXPERIENCE, NO PROBLEM ... The Fillies looked out of kilter in the second, third and part of the fourth set. But despite having a wealth of first-time starters, the Fillies fought back and made some huge plays with the match on the line.GREAT ATHLETE ... Fallabel praised Agosti, calling her "a great athlete who can do anything."OFF AND RUNNING ... Marian may have passed its biggest test in the league until it meets Nativity again next month.GOOD START ... The Marian JVs opened the night with a 2-0 sweep of Nativity.