YORK - It's a three-letter chant that has become as much a part of the Marian volleyball program as the championship banners and the gaudy victory totals.

F-S-U.For more than a decade, the Fillies have laid on the floor in a pre-match huddle and shouted those letters.The chant started during the 1998 season according to former Fillies and stands for "Fillies Stay United."Since that time, it has been passed down through the program and repeated before every match.The chant has become more than just a way to get pumped up before a match, however, it has become a bond between Marian's former and current players.That was evident Saturday when the 2013 Fillies swept Cochranton to capture the PIAA Class A state championship.Among the huge throng of Marian fans at Central York High School were more than a dozen former players.Angela Mazur Ferree is a 2000 Marian grad who was part of the team that introduced the chant."It was during my junior year," said Ferree. "Maria Fallabel (Currie) came up with it as a way to pump everyone up. We used it the entire season."It's pretty amazing that all these years later, the team is still doing the F-S-U chant."But that pre-match cheer isn't the most important Marian volleyball tradition that has been carried down through the years.The thing that Marian coach John "Doc" Fallabel is most proud of is how so many former players stay connected to the program.Ferree, who now lives only about 10 minutes away from Central York High School, is part of a huge contingent of past Fillie players who come back to play against, work with, and cheer on the current team."I helped the team a little bit during preseason," said Ferree. "So I was really excited when they qualified for the state finals. I couldn't wait to see this match. There was no way I was going to miss it."Karina Menconi Reed is another 2000 Marian graduate who comes back from time to time to play against current Fillie teams."It gave me chills when I saw how well they were doing in the playoffs," said Reed, who now lives in Macungie. "I still follow how the team is doing through social media and by reading stories online. I also try to see them play in person whenever I can."Mary Horvat tries to get to see the Fillies play at least once or twice a year."This was the first year in a while I didn't get to see them play Nativity," said Horvat, a 2002 Marian grad who lives in Lansford. "But I did get to work with this year's team at Coach (Nikki) Hackenberg's camp this summer and I was up at practice earlier this week trying to help out a little bit."Jess Smell, a 2001 graduate who traveled from Philadelphia to see the match, said some things never change no matter how long she is out of school."I still got chills watching the match today. It was just like I was out on the court again," said Smell. "It's like I never left."One thing I've learned over the years is that the Marian volleyball program is one big family."Chrissy Kanick Donadi came from Washington D.C. to see the championship match."It doesn't matter where you are or how long ago you graduated, a part of you is always going to feel a connection to the program," said the 2002 Marian graduate. "The tradition just keeps building. It's like a ladder. Each class is a rung to get the program to where it is now.""Doc" Fallabel said the visits, the phone calls, and the messages from former players have been overwhelming."Once a Fillie, always a Fillie," said Fallabel. "That's something we stress to our players and it's something that is very true."A look at the current Marian coaching staff backs that statement.Three members of the staff Maria Fallabel Currie, Jess Yorke and Rachel Krajircik are former players."I just love still being part of the program," said Krajircik, who commutes from Kutztown University, where she is a student, to attend practices and games. "It can be pretty hectic sometimes, but when Coach Fallabel asked me if I was interested in helping out as an assistant coach, I jumped at the chance."The seniors on this year's team were freshmen when I was a senior. To be able to share this state championship with them is amazing."But Krajircik wasn't the only former Fillie who shared the championship with this year's squad.Whether they coached, cheered in person, or showed their support with likes and comments on social media sites, former Marian players had one thing in common they are Fillies who Stay United.