For as long as most can remember, Marian and Nativity have been the teams to beat in District 11 Class A volleyball.

The Fillies and Green Wave have dominated the last decade-plus of Class A competition, with Marian claiming seven titles and Nativity five over the past 12 years.This season has been no different, as the Fillies and Green Wave entered Monday's Schuylkill League crossover contest once again atop the District 11 standings.Marian showed its mettle throughout in what has always been a spirited rivalry, earning a 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 victory over Nativity.The victory further cemented the fact that the Fillies will once again be a team to beat heading into the postseason, something head coach John Fallabel was confident of after a strong showing at the Lady Tide Classic this past weekend."We knew where we were as a team after Saturday," Fallabel said of his team's performance in the 14-team tournament at Martz Hall, which included a 6-2 record and a spot in the semifinals for the Fillies."We beat Clarion, which is a very good team. And we beat Holy Redeemer. It was only one game, but they are a great team."On Monday, Marian (11-2, 11-0) was able to take advantage of several timely service runs, especially in the first two sets, to seize control of the match.In the first, Nativity (13-2, 13-0) led 8-6, but Courtney McCall stepped to the line and the Fillies were able to rip off an 8-0 run to go up 14-8.McCall, who finished with a team-high six aces to go along with 10 digs and 23 assists, was at it again in the second set, helping turn a 9-6 lead into a 14-6 advantage while she was at the service line.Though small sample sizes, Green Wave head coach Jennifer Daubert acknowledged such swings in momentum changed the complexion of the match."Our serve and receive game (was the difference). There's no doubt about it," she said. "If we don't let them go on big runs with their serve and receive game..."But they have that ability to be able to serve you off the floor at times. I told the girls that we need to go back into the gym and work on our serve-receive because that was the difference in the game."Nativity mounted a final charge in the third set, holding a late 22-20 lead.But Marian wouldn't be denied, reeling off the final five points of the match to set the final tally with Jasmine Mooney at the line. The sophomore finished with nine kills, four aces and five digs.FOR A CAUSE. ... Monday night was Marian's Dig Pink game, which was played in memory of Patty Oakes Frieler, a 1986 Marian graduate who was a 1,000 point scorer on the Fillies basketball team.The Fillies made this year's donation to the Slide-Out Foundation in memory of Oakes Freiler, who passed away in May after a 15-year battle with breast cancer.In addition to Oakes Freiler, Marian also honored Sally Ann Christopher, Rosemary Kloap, Audrey (Swartz) Goldberg, Darlene Dvorsak and Tom O'Donnell.MO KNOWS. ... Fallabel had high praise for senior Maureen Kloap, who finished with nine kills, seven digs and one ace. "Mo (Maureen) came up big time in a big game. I like that," he said. "That's what Mo does. From here on out, that's what I expect her to do."STAT LINE. ... Abigail Stankiewitch finished with six kills and three aces, while fellow senior and Danielle Spillman recorded four aces and three digs for the Fillies. Sophomore Gianna Agosti had a team-high 11 digs.