MINERSVILLE – Baby, you’ve come a long way!

That could be the theme for the Marian Fillies this season.

Unfortuately for Marian, whose volleyball program is the crown jewel and the standard by which most small school programs are measured throughout Pennsylvania, they just weren’t able to come far enough to measure up to Nativity.

Not this year, anyway.

Meeting in the “Holy Wars” for the second time this season, the Green Wave had too much firepower, too much height, and too many veteran players.

The results was a 25-21, 25-21, 25-7 Nativity victory in the District 11 Class 1A semifinals.

Nativity moves on to the finals where it faces Mahanoy Area, which swept Salem Christian in three sets.

Marian (8-10) heads home early for the first time in nearly a decade .

“We stretched them out this year, we’re a young team and we put them up against some real tough competition,” was the way Dr. John Fallabel summoned up things. “It showed in the (District 11 quarterfinal) game against Williams Valley.

“We could have stayed in (Schuylkill League) Division 4 and had a gaudy record. But the competition we faced in Division 1 play this year helped us grow.”

Marian’s play the first two sets didn’t surprise Nativity coach Jen Forney Daubert.

“I didn’t expect anything less from Marian and that’s what we focused on in practice,” said Daubert. “They’re playing so much better at the end of the year. We knew the talent they have.”

Marian looked poised throughout the first two sets. Four times they were tied late in the first set — 14-14, 16-16, 19-19 and 20-20. But the seasoned Wave stayed the course turning to one of their big guns in superb sophomore outside hitter Samantha Heenan, who closed it out with two late kills.

Set two was a fatal attraction for Marian, unable to serve the ball with consistency. Down by a point (14-13) the Fillies held serve, but lost it with an error and Nativity jumped at a big opportunity the way good teams do with four straight points. Although Marian crept to within 22-20, Nativity regrouped and finished out the win.

“I’m really happy to come out on the winning end, but we have a long way to go,” said Daubert as she watched her team climb to 20-1 on the season, the lone loss in the Schuylkill League semifinals to Panther Valley. “I’m happy to finally get through this game.”

A sigh of relief for sure to be able to knock off the Fillies at this stage of the season — because even in an off year, Marian is always the postseason measuring stick.

COUNTING THE WAY… Heenan was just a monster at times with her great athletic ability racking up 12 kills and 11 digs for Nativity. Luca Walborn had 11 digs and 22 assists and Kaitlyn Zemantaus had 11 digs. The Fillies leaders were Macie Mazalusky with six kills and13 digs; Aliva Karchner with six kills; and Lacey Blasko with five kills.

HARD TO SAY GOODBYE … Three Marian seniors had their careers comes to a close — Antonina Zeleniak, Caroline Snerr and Katie Spillman. “I hate this time of the season,” said Fallabel as he hugged Zeleniak praising her.