Maybe the Marian faithful lingered just a little bit longer.

Perhaps the Fillies' players and coaches celebrated just a little bit louder.When Marian dispatched Berlin Brothersvalley Tuesday, there was no shortage of emotion in the Cumberland Valley High School lobby as the Fillies clinched a spot in the PIAA Class 1A title game for the third time in four years.But this trip was far from guaranteed."I had no idea we were going to be here," Marian head coach John "Doc" Fallabel said of advancing to the state final. "I never thought we could have. When we started this season, I told everybody … we have seven new position starters, and I don't know what's going to happen."The Fillies did it by reloading - and retooling - their lineup."We are all in different positions than we were (before). We're all new starters," said senior Miranda Antiga. "I don't think anybody ever thought that we would make it to the state championship."As seniors, Antiga and Jenna O'Donnell have taken on a leadership role as captains."That's what being a senior at Marian is. It's your team," Fallabel noted. "I turn the team over to the seniors. They did their job. They led the team. They're emotional leaders of the team."We have talent, they're talented. It's just a senior team, and that's very special."Despite losing a dominant middle hitter in Abigail Stankiewitch, a stabilizing force in setter Courtney McCall and 2015 Times News Player of the Year Maureen Kloap, Fallabel has guided the team with a deft hand.The latest example came in the Fillies' semifinal triumph against the Mountaineers, as junior Isabella Blasko stepped into the starting rotation at middle hitter for Elena Beckett, who was out with an illness."I can't say enough about what she did," Fallabel said of Blasko. "She took 10 steps in her development tonight. She held her own.""It means everything," added Blasko. "I was just kind of thrown in here. I didn't expect it, but my team really helped me and I was really nervous about it. But they talked me through it and helped me, and they were really there for me on the court."While Blasko wasn't anticipating playing a larger role in Tuesday's match, she was always going to be ready for it."That's what Marian volleyball is all about. This is what we practice," said Antiga. "Even if we don't need to, he (Fallabel) likes to throw people in, and you just have to all the time be prepared."Fallabel was forced to make another adjustment earlier this year when freshman Macie Mazalusky suffered a season-ending injury at a tournament in Pottsville, thrusting Antonina Zeleniak into a starting role."Nina Zelenack came in and we haven't missed a beat," he said. "We moved a couple of people around and the team has gotten even stronger, and we're doing well."Though several newcomers have spurred the Fillies most recent run deep into the postseason, the continued stellar play of Jasmine Mooney (outside hitter), Gianna Agosti (setter), Emily Meier and Toni Galasso (libero) have certainly helped Marian sustain its success despite the roster turnover."We lost some really good seniors, and everybody was doubting our team," said Blasko. "But we really brought it to the plate. Everybody was doubting us, saying we weren't going to get this far this year. But we knew it. We knew we could get this far, and I'm so proud of everyone that we actually did it."Now, this group has a chance to create a legacy of its own with a second state title in four years. To do so, the Fillies will have to get past Greensburg Central Catholic, which beat Marian 3-2 in the 2014 final."I'm not even thinking about it," Fallabel said. "I'm not gonna scout them - I didn't scout this team (Berlin Brothersvalley), I didn't look at one video. I don't want to know anything about them. We're gonna go out there and they're gonna know about us."