JOHNSTOWN - Even in defeat, John Fallabel's optimism was undeniable.

"We'll be back here," he said.Though Marian fell 25-13, 25-10, 25-19 to Greensburg Central Catholic in Saturday's PIAA Class A volleyball final, the Fillies and their head coach left Richland High School encouraged about what the future holds."We've got a good program and we've got good girls," said Fallabel. "We've got a whole team coming back. I'm losing my two seniors, but I've got some young girls coming up who are stepping up. I threw a couple of them in the game today and they did a fantastic job."The Fillies will certainly miss seniors Miranda Antiga and Jenna O'Donnell. But a core group that includes juniors Jasmine Mooney, Gianna Agosti, Toni Galasso, Emily Meir, Elena Beckett, Isabella Blasko and Julia Hoben, along with sophomores Nina Zeleniak and Kate Spillman and freshman Macie Mazalisky return.At the end of the 2015 season, Fallabel had to fill seven of his nine starting positions. Now, he will return a group that has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience."There were seven new starting positions (coming into the season)," Fallabel said. "Now, next year, I'll have (to replace) two out of nine. I've got everybody back but Miranda and Jenna."Antiga and O'Donnell provided vital leadership on and off the court as captains, roles that will now be held by members of the incoming senior class."What I do now is turn it over to the junior class," Fallabel said. "As of now, they're my seniors."Now we have a whole new group. It's their team."The leadership role is one Beckett and her teammates are ready to embrace."He brought us over and told us it's our team," she said of a meeting Fallabel had with his players after the match against Greensburg. "Next year is going to be a whole new season. We're going to rebuild."After being forced to reshuffle their lineup from last year's state semifinal team, an appearance in a state title game was one Beckett couldn't have been more pleased with."I couldn't be prouder of my team," she said. "We proved everyone wrong. Look at where we're standing right now. We've proved everyone wrong, and I honestly can't wait to do it again next year."This season was tough. But we fought and we earned it, and I'm proud of where we are right now."Mazalusky stepped in as a freshman this season and played a critical role in Marian's success, before suffering a season-ending head injury at a tournament at Pottsville."Starting out it was really intense, being a newcomer," said Mazalusky. "But the girls were really welcoming, and throughout the season, they really helped me out and it got better. It was an amazing experience."I think this season really helped the juniors get an understanding of what it's going to be like for their senior year. I think we're going to be a really strong team next year. I don't think anything is really going to change."Continuity was key for the Centurions, who have a roster that features seven seniors, and first-year head coach Kate McCauley knows a program as successful as Marian's that has quality players returning has the potential to make another run deep into the PIAA postseason."That was pretty much my philosophy when I took this team over," McCauley said of inheriting Greensburg's veteran lineup. "We lost three seniors last year and I had seven (this season). So it was pretty much the same thing."Marian will probably be very good next year if they work for it. I know my team had to work for it to be where they are. If they can work for it and be together as a team, losing those two people (Antiga and O'Donnell) - it's a couple of big people - but they should be OK in the seasons to come, I believe."Playing as one should be no problem for a Marian team that always has stood together, win or lose."We're a family, we're not just a team," said Beckett. "And I believe that if we play together, and we play with heart, that we'll be fine. We'll get back."