POTTSVILLE - There is nothing like a seasoned athlete, for when the chips are on the table they always seem to find a way to perform.

Marian's volleyball team is more than battle-tested. It is a team that rallies with grit and determination. Such was the case Thursday evening in Martz Hall, where the Fillies were looking for a three-peat in the Schuylkill League volleyball championship.Riding a trio of superb players and a supporting cast that does just about everything but drive the team bus, Marian collected its third straight league title by downing feisty Blue Mountain in five sets - 25-23, 21-25, 25-16, 22-25, 15-5 - and carried off another piece of hardware for the display case in Hometown.At times John "Doc" Fallabel's team seems determined to let the other team in a contest. Take for instance in the opening set when it fell behind (16-9), committing ghastly return errors or service errors. But then they find a way to get it all together to win."Ah," sighed Fallabel with that calm easy demeanor of his, "that's just the way we play. Sometimes we play very well, other times we start doing things that cause you (angsts). It's our physical and mental errors."We have mental lapses and not being in the right place, and in one set we made seven service errors. That is just what we are. But when we get it straight we can compete."Where the Fillies compete very well is in setting, and getting the big hits at the net. Abby Stankiewitch had a monster game with 25 kills, with a .415 hitting percentage.Stankiewitch shone brightly in the fifth set as she rose head and shoulders over the Blue Mountain defense registering five kills in the winning rally. "I don't let the mistakes bother me," Abby said with a smile. "You can't let those things get to you. You make a mistake; you focus on getting it right."Maureen Kloap was also big from her outside hitting spot. She had a big opening set and came up strong in the first three sets. Kloap and Jasmine Mooney both had 11 kills."I never really got nervous," Kloap said when asked what she thought after Blue Mountain forced the fifth and deciding set. "You just have to concentrate. All the hard work we did over the summer paid off. I'm just so happy that we won (the championship)."Blue Mountain fought through adversity as well. The Eagles staved off a Fillies charge in the second set. Marian looked right on schedule to go up two games with a 16-11 lead, but the Eagles dug in after a 21-21 tie. A block from Christie Challenger at the net gave her side the go-ahead point. Then on the next three serves by the Eagles, Marian crippled itself with three straight return errors giving Blue Mountain a 25-21 win.However, the Fillies rebounded with a head of steam in the third set for a 25-16 win. They took a 12-5 lead using service aces from Mooney and never were threatened as Stankiewitch capped off the rally with a kill."Mooney can be unbelievable at times," said Fallabel. "She comes up with some outstanding plays. Her serves can be terrific when she gets it going."On the brink of a loss, Blue Mountain hung tough rallying around the play of Maya Thorne, Nicole McQuillan and Lex Juritsch. The Eagles built a 7-2 lead, expanded it to 17-12 before the Fillies sliced the score to 23-21, but couldn't catch up in dropping a 25-22 decision."This is what you work for all summer long," Fallabel said. "You make it happen with the hard work, and you don't want to lose at this stage. And it wasn't summer league…"SPITFIRE ... Both teams showed a lot of intensity. When a player made a big block or a kill, the emotions were evident but fun to watch.SUPPORTING CAST ... Their names sometimes don't make it into print, but they surely make it work. Courtney McCall, Danielle Spillman, Abby Pilla, and Gianna Agosti are the unnoticed, but big players in supporting roles.QUOTE OF THE NIGHT ... Blue Mountain's youthful coach Nick Marrongelie turned to the scorer's table during the second set, which was very tight, and blurted out ... "get the trash can, just for my bubble game," he laughed. In other words, the acid in his stomach was churning.WHERE TO NEXT ... Marian will open District 11 Class A play a week from this Saturday, as well as Blue Mountain in 2A. Marian defeated the Eagles in four sets in the first meeting.