MECHANICSBURG - Like a devastating black wave, Clarion attacks with power and numbers.

The Bobcats’ unrelenting offensive pressure has swept away the opposition all season long.

Saturday in the PIAA Class 1A State Championship match at Cumberland Valley High School, the black-clad Bobcats made Marian their latest victim.

Clarion capped an unbeaten and near-perfect season with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-15 victory over the Fillies.

“They are a great team,” said Marian coach John “Doc” Fallabel. “Absolutely the best team we’ve seen all season. They have six studs in that lineup.

“Their power and balance make them very difficult to defend. I thought we played pretty well, but they were just the better team.”

Clarion’s top weapons were outside hitters Erica Selfridge (18 kills) and Korrin Burns (19 kills), but Aryanna Girvan and Payton Simko also showed the ability to put away points at the net.

“We challenge our girls to be bold and aggressive at the net,” said Bobcat coach Shari Campbell. “We don’t back down. We attack up high and we keep attacking.”

Fallabel said that he thought the Fillies were in pretty good position to defend the Clarion attack.

“I was happy with how we got to their hitters,” Fallabel said. “But we just weren’t able to close out blocks. They hit a lot of balls off us and through us.

“A lot of times we had two blockers in front of No. 6 (Selfridge) or No. 4 (Burns), but sometimes our hand angles were a little off, and other times we just didn’t close down enough. The biggest problem we faced, however, was they were just powerful hitters. When someone is crushing the ball like they were, you have to be absolutely perfect to defend them.”

It took Clarion a little while to find its groove as Marian jumped out leads of 5-0 and 8-2 in the opening game behind Lauren Reaman’s four-point service run and a couple of Alivia Karchner kills.

But once the Bobcats settled down, there was no slowing them down.

“I thought we showed some nerves in that first game,” said Campbell. “We called a timeout early to settle things down, and from that point on, I thought we played very well.”

Trailing 13-12 midway through the opening game, Clarion closed with a 13-3 run.

Marian played well in the early parts of both the second game (tied 7-7) and third game (tied 8-8).

In the second game, a couple of service points from both Tatianna Zeleniak and Karchner, and more strong net play from Karchner allowed Marian to stay close early. In the third game, Karchner had three quick kills, Rebecca Dzuranin had two, and Charlotte Vinson had one. But in both games, Clarion gradually pulled away for comfortable wins.

“Our girls have nothing to hang their heads about,” said Fallabel. “We were one of the last two teams in the state still playing volleyball in Class A.

“As a coach and as players, you loved being challenged ... you love going against the best. That’s what we got the chance to do today. It didn’t turn out like we had hoped, but that’s OK.”

Fallabel said that despite the loss, he wants his team to realize what a special season they had.

“They got the chance to play for a state championship,” he said. “Very few players ever get that opportunity.

“They are hurting a little right now. Losing is never enjoyable. But when they look back on this season they are going to realize how incredible it was. This loss won’t change that one bit.”

HUGE ADDITION

... Clarion’s already strong team got a huge boast before the start of the season when Selfridge transferred in from New York, where she was a huge part of a pair of state championship teams. “We expected to be here even without Erica,” said Campbell. “But obviously she was a tremendous addition to our team.” In addition to her 18 kills, Selfridge led the Bobcats with 17 service points and six aces in the match.

NEAR PERFECTION

... Clarion’s 24-0 record includes 3-0 sweeps in 23 of the matches. The Bobcats lost just one set all season. Marian finished the season with a 14-4 record.

FINISHING WITH A FLOURISH

... Karchner had a strong performance in the final high school match of her career, leading the Fillies at the net with 10 kills and a .259 hitting percentage. She also had a team-high three aces and added two blocks.

MORE NUMBERS

... Ashlyn Klitsch topped Marian with 18 assists; Zeleniak and Klitsch led the way defensively with nine and six digs respectively; Kelly Sullivan had three blocks; and Dzuranin backed up Karchner with four kills.

STATE-MENTS

... Clarion also won a state championship in 2012. This was Marian’s seventh state championship match appearance. The Fillies won titles in 2003 and 2013 and finished as runners-up in 2005, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2020.

FINALES

... In addition to Karchner, seniors Zeleniak, Dzuranin and Jamison Wheeler all played their final match for the Fillies.