Put Marian and Nativity together in any athletic competition, and the intensity is almost guaranteed.

The latest installment of the “Holy War” rivalry took place Tuesday night on the volleyball court, and this time it was Marian’s turn to claim bragging rights.

The Fillies defeated Nativity in straight sets, 25-14, 25-12, 25-23, in a Schuylkill League Division 2 matchup.

Marian improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in league play.

“Yeah, it’s always the Holy War, isn’t it,” Marian coach Maria Currie said.

Even Currie was surprised by the final margin.

Did she expect a sweep?

“Nope,” she shot back. “This is such a rivalry, it goes back before a lot of the girls were ever a part of it. It’s a special thing (to play) this game with our team. Jen (Daubert) is a very good coach; we just had the upper hand.”

The Fillies showed why they are among the top teams in the area, but they never took Nativity lightly.

“We respect them very much, and even when we got the first (two) sets, we still had to keep pushing,” Marian senior Kali Grochowski said.

Grochowski’s teammate, senior Maddy Davis, agreed.

“It is so competitive playing (Nativity) you can never let up, you just got to fight threw things.”

Marian took control early.

After leading 13-9 in the opening set, the Fillies rattled off 11 consecutive points with Davis serving. She recorded two aces during the run, while Marian’s attack continued to pressure the Green Wave defense. A key moment came when Addy Marek delivered a powerful kill.

Nativity’s primary threat was returning all-state player Finley McNamara, who continued to keep her team in the match throughout the evening.

“She’s a very strong player,” Grochowski and Davis both said.

Marian closed out the first set on a Marek ace.

The Fillies jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set, but Nativity battled back behind Madison Purcel, Calista Wessner and McNamara to cut the deficit to 11-8.

That was as close as the Green Wave would get.

Davis and Cara Renert helped spark another Marian surge, and after sophomore JoElle Currie served an ace to make it 24-12, Grochowski finished the set with a kill.

“You know we had some great practices over the (Labor Day) weekend,” Currie said.

“We brought back a few of our former players who gave us a great workout… I thought it helped us a lot to get ready.”

Nativity saved its best stretch for the third set.

Led by McNamara, the Green Wave seized a 13-10 advantage and later extended it to 20-13. The run included a kill from Grace Andrescavage, a block by McNamara and a kill from Molly Holiday.

“We got ourselves in a pretty good position,” Nativity coach Jen Daubert said, “we just didn’t finish it.”

Marian responded when Marek stepped to the service line.

The Fillies capitalized on two Nativity errors, added an ace and benefited from two more unforced mistakes. Davis then blasted a kill to pull Marian within 20-19.

After a Marian error briefly slowed the comeback, Renert recorded an ace to ignite another rally. The Fillies eventually took a 24-23 lead, and Marek ended the match with a kill.

“It is a great way to come back,” Maria Currie said with a smile. “The play of (McNamara) was hard for us to read. We need to get better at that (middle) attack with more practice.”

The rivalry is far from over. Marian and Nativity are scheduled to meet again next month at Nativity.

“We were preparing for it,” Currie said of the rivalry. “We brought back five state champions who gave us a great workout… I thought it helped us a lot to get ready.”

QUOTABLE I ... “Maddy is an unsung hero, she doesn’t have all the crazy stuff, she is (consistent).” — Currie on Davis’ play. QUOTABLE II ... “We need more experience with that middle attack ... more competition with that.” — Currie on improving Marian’s net defense.

Marian 3, Nativity 0

Nativity 14 12 23

Marian 25 25 25

Statistics: Nativity: Finley McNamara 4 kills, 2 blocks, 8 digs, 2 aces; Marian: Maddy Davis 7 kills, 7 aces, 3 digs; Addy Marek 4 kills, 2 aces, 8 digs, 2 solo blocks; JoElle Currie: 19 assists, 8 digs, 3 aces, 2 kills; Kali Grochowski: 5 kills, 8 digs; Reagan LeClair 4 digs; Cara Renert: 2 kills, 3 aces, 2 digs.

Records: Nativity (2-3; 2-1); Marian (4-1; 3-0).