POTTSVILLE - It was almost ... but in the end it was not quite enough.

Marian’s storied volleyball team often has a knack for winning the close, grind-it-out type of matches.

But that isn’t quite the case right now - at least not against Nativity.

For the second straight night, the two powerhouse programs went back-and-forth for five sets.

And both times, the Green Wave rose to the occasion.

Nativity had to fend off the Fillies down the stretch - and in a fifth set - to settle the issue, 25-21, 25-20, 18-25, 18-25, 15-5 on Tuesday night.

Marian nearly came back from being two sets down to top the Green Wave the way Nativity did on Monday.

The difference in the two matches was that Nativity’s star players stepped up in key situations. The Wave just kept grinding and, when they needed to, made the big plays.

Seniors Samantha Heenan and Abigaile Yourey, along with junior Lily Matlock, kept rising to the occasion. Meanwhile, Francesca Modica stood tall among the elite as well.

The Wave also got huge efforts from Livia Lieberman, and have a tough server in Kaitlyn Zemantaus, who kept forcing the play and never let off the throttle.

In the fifth and final set, Nativity never lost its whereabouts, as the Wave battled through adversity, shooting out to a commanding 12-2 lead before putting the match away.

“The difference was their key players made key plays, and our key players failed to lead us,” Marian head coach John Fallabel said bluntly. “I will say this; this was the most fun I had in a long time.”

Even in defeat, Fallabel found a silver lining.

“Our underclassmen did a great job,” Fallabel said. “They need to learn how to play.”

On the other end, Nativity coach Jen Daubert found her team coming through in the clutch.

“It certainly was balance for us,” Daubert said. “It’s pretty crazy coming out on back-to-back nights … (that’s) 10 sets in about 24 hours.”

Heenan outshined everyone most of the evening, as she would forge 30 digs, had a monster kill night with 24 and posted 14 aces. Lieberman was also superb in collecting 33 digs, while Modica came through with 10 kills.

Marian seemed sluggish through the first three sets. Though the Fillies did sneak off leads of 12-6, 13-7 and 17-11 in the opener, they never seemed to find their footing.

And when Nativity stormed back behind Zemantaus and Heenan to take a 21-20 lead, it seemed the Fillies were starting to slip.

That look appeared once more in the second set as Nativity kept putting pressure on. With Lieberman in the serve, her team broke free from a 17-17 tie to take a three-point lead before ending the set when Marian made three unforced errors.

Marian seemed to get a breath of air in the third and fourth sets. and looked poised enough, especially after winning the fourth set, where it took advantage of five unforced Nativity errors to send the match into a fifth and deciding set.

Before reaching that point, Marian rallied behind the serving of Jamison Wheeler to jump ahead 11-9. Moments later, Tatiana Zeleniak knocked down three straight aces, and when her side got the serve back and led 19-18, they never ceded. With Wheeler back at the throttle, they polished off the set and seemed refreshed.

Unfortunately, by the time the fifth set came, Marian just seemed to run out of not only hope, but also gas. The Green Wave struck early and often and never let the Fillies regain any semblance of hope.

“I thought we did a great job defensively and trying to go with our own stuff,” Daubert said. “We worry about what’s happening on our side of the floor.”

And Nativity did that on back-to-back nights against Marian.

DIG, DIG, DIG

... It was dubbed “Dig Cancer Pink Night” by the hosts, making everyone aware of breast cancer. The Green Wave wore pink tops for the occasion. Dr. Fallabel was dressed for the awareness, too, wearing a pink smock, pine slacks and a pink beret.

BY THE NUMBERS

… Marian had only 35 total kills, 15 aces and 68 digs. Rebecca Dzuranin registered 11 kills, while Zeleniak had 24 digs.