Alliance, OH- Fresh off a state championship game appearance, the Marlington Dukes were always going to have a chip on their shoulder heading into 2025. With losses to Twinsburg (3-0) and Olmsted Falls (3-1), Marlington had plenty to prove in the Eastern Buckeye Conference. Tonight, they earned their first home win and third conference win with a 3-0 victory over Minerva.
In the first set, it was all Marlington. After taking a 4-0 lead, the Lions got back into the frame with two quick-fire points. However, a 5-0 run followed for the Dukes, which made it 9-2. Tiffany Oaks, the head coach for Minerva, called a time-out to talk things over. Minerva got some points on the board after the break, but Marlington continued to control the frame. In the end, the Dukes got the win 25-9.
Set two started with plenty of back-and-forth play. The Lions kept Marlington within three or four points for the most part. However, the Dukes began to pull away as a timeout was called with the score sitting at 13-6. Minerva made things interesting after the break as they got within three. However, the pedigree of the Dukes showed as they sealed the set 25-17.
Just like the prior set, the Lions held Marlington at bay early. After going down, the Dukes took a narrow lead. The narrow 9-8 lead widened quick as Minerva called time with the score sitting at 15-8. This remained par for the course as Marlington cruised to a 25-12 victory, sealing the 3-0 win overall.
After the game, Danica Sarchione said,
“We worked really hard this Summer. We knew we lost some seniors, but this is a really good rebuilding year, and tonight we really proved ourselves.”
Sarchione is one of the biggest returners from last season. As a junior in 2025, Sarchione looks to be a two-year captain for the Dukes. In this match, she chipped in 7 kills along with 6 aces, 1 assist, 10 digs, and two blocks. Additionally, Marlington scored on 16 of her 18 services. Only Justine Doringo had more serves leading to points, but a lower total serve point percentage.
Looking into the priorly mentioned former seniors, Claire Battershell (Tiffin), Layne Graffice (YSU), and Jacsyn Hilliard headlined the class. However, the statsheet looked very similar to last season.
“Hey, these stats are very similar to last year,” remarked head coach Stephanie Tortola regarding what was said on the bench after the game.
The energy was the same from last year; just a few new faces were introduced. Senior setter Cali Young echoed this as she proclaimed,
“We have a good youth program at Marlington. A lot of the girls who were coming up freshman year have made an impact.”
Giana Bogunovich echoed the sentiment as she said,
“I feel like our energy and our determination just shows in everything we do.”
Bogunovich led the team with 17 kills. She also provided one assist and seven digs. Young also provided a spark, earning a total of 28 assists.
The Dukes, now 4-2 on the year, head to Salem on Thursday as they hunt for a seventh consecutive undefeated EBC season in a row. As for Minerva, they travel to Alliance again, but to take on the Aviators. The latter will be streamed live on the SmeeSports YouTube channel.
SmeeSports Player of the Game: Danica Sarchione
Link to Rewatch Marlington Vs Minerva Volleyball: https://www.youtube.com/live/bx6QRqcwC5k?si=lO7CTC0oRfEuu-m2
Link to Watch Alliance Vs Minerva Volleyball: https://www.youtube.com/live/8MfuNvVqKDo?si=8jHWb6udk289eigv
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