For Marian, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

After all, who wouldn’t want to play their best match of the season in the one that matters the most?

The Fillies grabbed momentum midway through the first game of Tuesday night’s District 11 championship match against rival Nativity and rode it all the way to a 25-18, 25-15, 25-20 sweep.

The victory avenged a pair of losses to the Green Wave this year, and allowed the Blue and Gold to defend their Class 1A title.

“It’s spectacular,” said Marian head coach Maria Serina. “We are so proud of this group. We have seen dramatic improvement every single week. This past week, the girls have stepped it up to a whole other level.

“I think (this is the best they’ve played all year). It’s almost like we were firing on all cylinders. In the previous match against them, we came out and got in an 0-8 hole. Tonight we came out relaxed.”

The Fillies (15-6) actually fell behind again against top-seeded Nativity on Tuesday, trailing by three on four different occasions - with the last coming at 13-10. But a four-point run – highlighted by a Jenna Goff kill and a Megan Reaman ace – put Serina’s club in the lead for the first time.

Up by a 20-18 score, Marian finished off the first set with five straight points. Not only did it give them a 1-0 advantage in the match, it also gave them an added boost moving forward.

“Volleyball is such a game of momentum, and there are a lot of shifts and back-and-forths,” said Nativity mentor Jen Daubert. “We got down a little bit and we were trying to regain our energy level, but credit to Marian because they came back out and took the lead in sets 2 and 3, and we were never able to recover from that.”

In the second game, the second-seeded Fillies received a pair of kills from Megan Paisley during an early run that gave them a 9-1 start and increased their confidence level.

“You could feel it (momentum) on the court as soon we got it, and we knew we had to keep it, keep going and push as hard as we could,” said Paisley, a senior.

“It’s amazing, especially to beat them in three after losing to them twice this year. It feels great to come out with a win.”

The second-set victory was never in jeopardy, as Marian maintained its sizable lead. The margin reached double digits at 20-10, before eventually closing it out on a Goff ace.

“I think we focus a lot on keeping momentum on our side,” said Serina. “We did a really good job of controlling the ball and doing what we needed to do, having each position execute. To their credit, I thought that our girls did that.”

Also to their credit, the Fillies didn’t waver in Game 3 when Nativity (18-5) gained a 6-5 edge. Instead of the Green Wave building on their slim lead, Marian responded with a 6-0 spurt - with two of the points coming on Paisley aces.

The back-to-back champions kept their opponent at bay, finishing off the set and the match with an Abbey Kluck kill.

“Give all the credit in the world to Marian Catholic,” said Daubert. “They came out and had a great game plan. We knew they were going to come out with energy and life since it’s a district final ... They earned this victory.”

It bears repeating that Nativity downed the Fillies twice earlier - once during the regular season and another time in the league playoffs, both by 3-1 decisions.

So what changed?

“I think we switched our attitude in the gym, and really worked so hard for this moment,” said Paisley. “And we just pushed every single day for this moment.”

STAT LINE ... Kluck led the team with eight kills, while Paisley had six and Goff added five. Fatikha Tikhtova chipped in with three. Tikhtova also contributed five blocks, while Lena Lombardo collected four. Julia Meiss finished with 20 assists and 13 digs. Goff also had 13 digs, with Kluck posting 10 and Paisley nine.

UP NEXT ... Marian will enter the state playoffs, and is scheduled to meet the District 1/12 champion on the road.