MECHANICSBURG Marian's middle hitter Abby Stankiewitch is certainly overwhelming to her opponents when it comes to size and stature, measuring 6-1, and possessing a long and lanky wingspan. The sophomore showed on Tuesday night that she's not only gifted physically, but that she can make big plays when it matters most.

Stankiewitch's play in the fourth set propelled the Fillies to a 25-22 victory, giving them a 3-1 PIAA A Semi Final win over Bishop Guilfoyle. Marian took the first two sets on the evening 25-23 and 25-20, with Guilfoyle stealing the third 25-16. The Fillies then sealed the deal in the fourth to head to the A State Championship game that will be held on Saturday at Central York High School at 11 a.m.Stankiewitch took advantage of the undersized Guilfoyle squad, especially in the fourth and deciding frame. She came up with four kills and three blocks to lead the Fillies in the fourth. Stankiewitch's most important play of the fourth came on the final point where she reached up high and blocked talented Guilfoyle hitter Annie Dombrowski's strike, glancing the ball off to the front right corner of the Marauders court. That block was a perfect ending to a championship performance from the Fillies.Marian also got a big fourth game effort from Emily Pilla, who showed that she can rise with the best of them. Pilla constantly put pressure on the Marauders' defense, coming up with four kills in the fourth, along with two aces. Marian setter Abby O'Donnell, who is as good as they come in the state at that position found the hot-handed Stankiewitch and Pilla and the Fillies fed off those two to push through."We just took what they gave us," said Marian coach John Fallabel. "They gave us the middle and we took advantage of that throughout the night. Abigail really rocked for us and she did it both on offense and defense. She was great at the net, especially in blocking, which was something we worked on a lot at practice. Abby showed what kind-of a player she is and what kind-of player she's going to be, she was just feeling it tonight."After an injury kept Stankiewitch from playing in the Schuylkill League title game she was eager to get back and contribute in the district and state playoffs. It's safe to say that Stankiewitch has done just that in the 2013 postseason."I had an injury during the Schuylkill League playoffs and it killed me not being out there with my teammates," said Stankiewitch. "The girls helped me get back and helped me fight through my injury and that's why I was able to play so well tonight. We all wanted this so bad and I gave it everything I had out there on the court."From the start, it was a true back and forth affair between the Fillies and Marauders.Marian took the first two sets, but by no means did it come easy. In the first, the two squads matched point for point for almost the entire way. The Fillies actually saw themselves down 21-18 late in the game, but used three Guilfoyle errors, an ace by Courtney McCall, and a Stankiewitch kill to gain a two-point advantage. A service error by Guilfoyle gave Marian the game one win.Game two was mostly controlled by Marian and after gaining a six-point lead mid-way through the match they never looked back.It was the dreaded game three that has seemed to hamper Marian throughout the postseason that got them once again. Through all their success this season, the Fillies at times have lost focus and not played to their full potential, putting some unneeded pressure on themselves. That's exactly what happened in third game on Monday, dropping the frame 25-16."I can't tell you what happens to us sometimes, we just have mental breakdowns," said Fallabel. "I feel like every team does and tonight that's what happened in that third game. But it all worked out, the girls banded together and played so well in that fourth game. It just amazes me how good these girls are. This is a really really good volleyball team."However, for every time Marian has lost its focus for a game, they've regained it ten-fold for the next one and it surely didn't disappoint the Fillies' faithful in attendance on Tuesday."We came in knowing that we we were going to be in a challenging game against a good opponent," said Marian senior Grace Boyle, who had three kills and 14 digs. "We just had to play our game in order to win and that's what we did. We got down a little bit there in the third, but we bounced back and played strong."For Marian, Stankiewitch finished with 14 kills, Pilla finished with seven kills and 10 digs, and Maureen Klope added seven kills as well. Abby O'Donnell collected 33 assists and 15 digs and Ashton Galasso finished with 10 digs.With the win, Marian will now go on to face District 10 Champion Cochranton in the PIAA A Volleyball State Championship on Saturday at Central York High School at 11 a.m.