POTTSVILLE - Jasmine Mooney may be the driver of the car, but there is a whole lot more to this Marian volleyball machine.

In one of the most intense matches of the season, Mooney lit up the darkness on Lawton Hill Monday evening in a showdown match against bitter rival Nativity. Mooney rained down 35 kills with prodigious slams, and the Fillies received excellent teamwork from an array of unsung heroes.That effort lifted Marian from an opening-set loss to claim a five-set win over the Green Wave and remain undefeated in the league at 11-0."It was fun," said head coach Dr. John Fallabel, the taskmaster of one of the most successful small-school programs in the state. "This was fun; this is what high school volleyball is all about. These were two great (programs) going at it right up until the final (point)."In what was an edge-of-your seat evening, it looked like Nativity was going to get its revenge win. Flashback to Sept. 7 in Hometown, when it was grueling through all five sets on a humid and sweltering night. It took every bit of perseverance, and then some, for the Fillies' youthful squad to post a victory.Now, in the second meeting, the Wave was chomping at the bit and looked poised to stop the Fillies after a 25-22 first-set win. But up stepped Mooney, and in came Miranda Antiga, followed by Elena Beckett. Toss in Antonina Zeleniak, and throw in Gianna Agosti and Jenna O'Donnell and rising frosh Antonia Galasso, along with sophomore Katie Spillman."They are our biggest rivals, and we needed to play a strong (match)," said Antiga, who her coach said was "the most unselfish player on the team.""Amanda gave up a lot for this team," said Fallabel. "She could score a lot of points for us; instead it's the gut work, the serving, the defense and look what she could have been … we could've gotten another 300 kills out of her. And how about Gianna? Wow, 55 (assists)."The killer bee, though, goes to Mooney. She set a record for kills in a game (35), with one of the most impressive performances from the junior. "That is unbelievable," said Fallabel, as he read off the game stats. Kayla McCullion was the previous record-holder with 30 kills, which also came against Nativity.The opening set had Marian taking a late 22-21 lead, before four straight errors doomed the Fillies in losing a 25-22 decision. The Fillies wasted little time in setting the tone in set two, jumping in front 20-7 and never wavering to claim a 25-15 win. The Wave then took a 2-1 set advantage in a third-set battle. Marian trailed by as many as five points (17-12) before tying it at 24-all. After a Nativity timeout, two unforced errors enabled the home side to win 26-24.Undaunted, the Fillies regrouped to explode in the fourth set behind the superb play of Mooney, who recorded nine kills in this 25-15 set win, setting up the tension for the fifth set.There were three ties in the race to reach 15 points, and at times it became unsettling until Antiga buried an ace for a 12-10 lead. Although Nativity's Noelle Steele got one back for her side, Mooney took control for keeps. Her two massive kills put an exclamation point on the final two points.CLINCHING ... Marian's win clinched the top seed out of Schuylkill League Division 4 and will, in all probability, meet Division 1's Blue Mountain in the league playoffs. Panther Valley (Division 2) and Halifax (Division 3) lead their respective races.BY THE NUMBERS ... Antiga had 18 kills and seven aces, as just about every Fillie contributed in the win.MATCH 3 IN THE OFFING ... Marian had its hands full with tough outside hitters Emily Yordy and Steele. There's a good possibility Nativity and Marian will meet in the District 11 Class A tournament.