In order to overthrow Nativity in the District 11 Class 1A championship match last week in fabled Martz Hall, the Marian volleyball team needed to dig deep and play its best against one of the state’s top ranked teams.

Was it an upset? Probably. Was it a surprise? Probably not.

But it was a monumental victory, certainly from a psychological aspect.

The Fillies had been beaten twice before by the Green Wave. The first time, the Fillies had jumped out to a two-set lead. In the second, they rallied to tie the match after dropping the first two sets. But both ended the same way - in heartbreaking five-set losses.

So how were the Fillies going to find a way to overcome their biggest rivals when it mattered most? How were they going to reverse the earlier results?

Volleyball’s version of the Holy Wars between Schuylkill County’s two remaining Catholic high schools has provided plenty of drama and excitement for the better part of two decades, with both programs taking turns as the best small school program in District 11 - if the not the entire state - with one program’s victory almost always coming at the expense of the other.

Make no mistake, there is no love lost between the teams, but ultimate respect has always been in the forefront.

Volleyball is the ultimate team sport, one that mandates precision, smart play and communication on the court.

But after two close losses, did the Fillies have what it took - both physically and mentally - to beat Nativity?

Even the sly and creative coaching of Dr. John Fallabel and his trusted assistants Rachel Krajcirik and Maria Currie weren’t good enough to overcome a very talented Nativity squad in the two earlier meetings.

There is no two-way street with Fallabel’s coaching; either you love him or hate him. He’s a matter-of-fact-guy who demands discipline and excellence. There is no in between with the “Doc.”

It’s his way or the highway.

So what did Fallabel do in the most important match of the season? He made a simple tweak by moving the determined and feisty senior captain Tatiana Zeleniak to the left portion of the floor, no less the night before the match.

The strategy - put in to offset Nativity’s powerful right side hitting tandem of Kaitlyn Zemantauski and Samantha Heenan, who hurt the Fillies in both previous matches - paid off.

Zeleniak, who bubbles with energy and plays with superb confidence, was able to get dig after dig throughout the tension-packed championship encounter.

Marian’s adjusted lineup paid immediate dividends, as the Fillies grabbed the first set win. But Nativity bounced back to win two straight and put the Fillies on the verge of elimination.

Marian’s seniors weren’t going down without a fight, however. The Fillies regrouped and turned to their leaders.

Certainly, the aforementioned Zeleniak was turning up her energy. Feeding off that was potential Division-I bound hitter Alivia Karchner, and Jamison Wheeler, a much unsung player in her own right. Rebecca Dzuranin, another senior, also stepped up, as did star underclassman Kelly Sullivan, who used her adroit ability to consistently block shots. Setter Ashlyn Klitsch and defender Megan Paisley also came up big.

Behind their efforts, Marian pulled out Game Four, and once again set the stage for a winner-take-all fifth game against the Green Wave.

Time after time, Zemantauski and Heenan smashed the ball with power and speed. But Zeleniak and the rest of the Fillies’ back line never backed away from the challenge. They embraced it like true champions. And no one did it more than Zeleniak, who was having fun as she shined on the court.

At one point in the fifth-and-deciding game, she looked up at the Marian student body, and just gave them a wink and a smile. It was obvious that she was relishing the moment.

All the Fillies were.

Because this time, Marian was determined to change the ending.

This time, it was different. This time, it was the Fillies that made the biggest plays. This time, it was the Fillies that found a way to win.

As a result, Marian has earned a berth into the PIAA State Tournament, its first visit to states since 2017 when the current group of seniors were freshmen.

Marian opens play on Saturday at 2 p.m. when it hosts District 4 champion Canton, and is just two victories away from a spot in the State Championship match that will be held a week from Saturday in Mechanicsburg.