MINERSVILLE — The swagger was missing. The mojo was gone.

Marian’s volleyball team hardly looked like its usual formidable self against a long, veteran Blue Mountain squad. To think the Fillies were swept in three sets — a rarity for this program — says it all.

The Blue Eagles used their length at the net, and a skilled group of back-row passers, to push Marian out of contention for another Schuylkill League championship Monday evening at Patrick Fitzgerald Gymnasium on the campus of Minersville High School.

This quarterfinal matchup featured a dominant Blue Mountain effort from start to finish. The Eagles rolled through the first set 25-19, looked every bit the better team in the second (25-18), and then finished off Marian 25-22 despite a late Fillies surge.

Marian struggled to counter Blue Mountain’s strong front line. The 6-foot, athletic Jaedyn Bartholomew swung her powerful left hand from all points on the floor, while middle hitter Zoe Liebensperger and sophomore Alexa Marshall added steady play at the net.

“(Lefty) just hurt us — we had no answers for her,” Marian coach Maria Currie said, referring to Bartholomew. “They were very aggressive. They knew where they wanted to hit the ball, and we just didn’t have an answer.”

Even Marian’s top duo — senior middle hitter Alena Lombardo and junior Kali Grochowski — could never quite find a rhythm. Lombardo delivered several powerful kills, and Grochowski worked tirelessly in the back row, but the Fillies never seemed to settle in.

“We knew how we wanted to attack them — our bigs were our strength, and we kept feeding them the ball,” Blue Mountain coach Greg Gergely said. “I thought we played really consistent for most of the match. The third set they came out fired up and had that lead for most of it.”

Marian’s final push was its best. The Fillies jumped ahead 12-7 behind Grochowski and the serving of JoElle Currie. With Maddy Davis in the rotation — who had a strong performance in the middle — Marian extended its advantage to 15-11 while holding serve.

But Blue Mountain found a second wind late in the set. The Eagles rallied to tie it 20-20, then again at 21-21, before pulling ahead 23-22. Piper Reinhart sealed the sweep with a kill to close it out.

Blue Mountain was never seriously threatened in the first two sets, building leads of 17-12 and 24-13 to take the opener with ease. It was déjà vu in the second, as Bella Grasso, Reinhart, and Bartholomew powered an early 14-7 lead that the Fillies couldn’t overcome.

By that point, Marian looked worn down — unable to sustain any consistent momentum.

“I know we’re a pretty good team,” Currie said. “We just didn’t have much to show for it tonight.”

MILESTONE ... There was at least one bright spot. Currie praised senior Eris Hayes, who recorded her 1,000th career assist.

“She really earned it. I’m happy for her,” Currie said.

STAT LEADERS ... Hayes had 15 assists and three digs; Grochowski added seven kills and five digs; Lombardo tallied nine kills and three digs; and Caydense Smith collected 17 digs. For Blue Mountain, Bartholomew finished with 30 kills, 16 digs, and one ace; Grasso totaled 42 assists and one ace; and Reinhart added seven kills.

UP NEXT ... Marian will await the start of the District 11 tournament later this month.

Records: Blue Mountain (16-3); Marian (15-6)