POTTSVILLE – In the snap of a finger, it all went up in smoke for a group of assertive volleyball players seeking a gold medal.

Marian was on the cusp of knocking off favorite Tri-Valley on Wednesday evening on the floor of the fabled Martz Hall.

The Bulldogs had a distraught look on their faces — stumbling, fumbling, indecisive at times in the fourth set. All the Fillies needed was one more point while holding a 24-22 lead that would have sealed the deal, 3-1.

Ah, but the force was not with Marian. A sudden turn of events found the defending District 11 Class 1A champs rising like a phoenix behind a terrific crew of standout players led by senior outside hitter Liv Lupole and junior outside hitter Faith Melocheck. They flipped the script the way champions do, winning that fourth and most crucial set to force a fifth and deciding frame.

And much to its liking, Tri-Valley had the wind at its back — playing with poise and stubbornness to take down upstart Marian, 15-10, to capture the district gold medal and live to play another day.

The set scores read: 25-27, 25-14, 26-28, 28-26, 15-10.

“They just needed to keep the pressure on, keep fighting and keep our heads together,” is how Tri-Valley coach Carolyn Dunkelberger explained the sudden turn of events in sets four and five.

Marian slugged its way to a first-set 28-26 win, getting shining moments from its go-to player in the middle, senior Alena Lombardo, and from Lara Cancio, plus the gutsy play of sophomore JoElle Currie.

The Fillies trailed at one point, 16-14, before rallying to take a short-lived 18-16 lead. It was tied several times down the stretch — at 19, 20, 21, 24 and 25. Then Maddy Davis struck with a kill before teammate Cancio delivered a huge swing for set point, giving Marian a 1-0 lead.

“I really felt that we would win the (match),” said Marian coach Maria Currie, the second-year leader who slowly brought this team into championship form. She lamented the fourth set, which stuck in her craw. “We thought we had that fourth set won … I have to go back and look at the tape.”

Things twisted in the second set. Tri-Valley found its balance, its footwork and its setters, roaring back with defiance. The Bulldogs strolled to a 23-13 lead, outrunning the Fillies to the finish line with ease, 25-14.

One could sense the play rising from Lupole — especially at the net. Her swing, like a hammer, was defining at times. “Whoosh” — the power stroke was back in play. When teammates Kylie Clemmer and the Melocheck sisters, Callie and Faith, heated up, Marian was wallowing, unable to get its mojo working.

Yet Marian didn’t come unglued after that set loss. It found ways to score key points, with contributions from Kali Grochowski, Lombardo and Isabella Horvat to stay the course. Grochowski tied it with a kill at 23, and it see-sawed back and forth until two late errors by the Bulldogs gave the Fillies a second-set win, 28-26.

Where Marian started to get wobbly was in the rotation. It just couldn’t get its leader, Lombardo, back on the floor enough times. The rotation aspect proved costly, and her absence was felt on more than one occasion.

Then the crucial fourth set was upon both teams. Marian bounced with confidence. Though the score was tied five different times, the Fillies appeared to be in killer-instinct mode, going up 23-20 before Tri-Valley counterpunched to get within 24-22. Then things went haywire. Tri-Valley found the heart of a lion — unyielding. It tied the game on Lupole’s kill (24-24). Cancio had an answer, registering a kill for a 25-24 lead, but the Bulldogs drew even at 26-26 before Marian made two fatal errors, dropping the fourth set 28-26.

“We just needed to get a point or two, and keep grounded and get the momentum back,” Dunkelberger said about her team’s poise late in the hectic stretch that left Marian uneasy after the match was tied 2-2.

Then the walls started to crumble on the Fillies. Tri-Valley sensed it could win this battle and raced to a 9-3 lead, needing just six more points to seal the verdict.

There was a flicker of life in Marian when it closed to within 14-10 thanks to Grochowski’s kill.

However, when in trouble, find your best player — and the Bulldogs did just that. Lupole delivered a matter-of-fact kill to end the suspense and create a crowning moment for Tri-Valley.

QUOTABLE I ... “We had it (fourth set), we made a couple of errors and I honestly thought we would come back and win that (fifth) set.” — Coach Currie on the final outcome.

QUOTABLE II ... “Everybody did a great job, our seniors … I really thought that we were going to win it all.” — Currie on her team’s underdog role.

BY THE NUMBERS ... Marian: Alena Lombardo — 6 kills, 4 blocks; Kali Grochowski — 13 kills, 21 digs; Isabella Horvat — 29 digs; JoElle Currie — 37 assists, 2 aces, 6 digs.

BIDDING ADIEU ... Six seniors took a final bow: Caydense Smith, Eris Hayes, Christina Mohammed, Alena Lombardo, Isabella Horvat and Lara Cancio.

TRI-VALLEY STATISTICS ... Liv Lupole — 25 kills, 6 digs, 1 ace; Faith Melocheck — 16 kills, 4 aces; Callie Melocheck — 51 assists, 11 digs; Kylie Clemmer — 7 kills, 8 digs; Kirra Klinger — 29 digs.