The Marcus volleyball team fended off a scrappy Keller Central squad in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs on Tuesday, winning in five sets 16-25, 25-17, 25-15, 24-26, 15-12.

    The Marauders (24-7 overall) will face Allen in the Area round, though no specific time or date had been set as of press time. Allen advanced thanks to a 3-0 win over Cedar Hill on Tuesday. Marcus beat Allen twice during the regular season.   

    “With nine seniors I figured we’d be a lot more loose than we were tonight,” Marcus head coach Cristie Liles said of her team’s win over Keller Central. “This team puts a lot more pressure on itself to win because the expectations are high. I just told them to relax and that they have to learn to enjoy the ride.”   

    Marcus – winners of seven of their last eight games – came into Tuesday’s playoff match having not played since Oct. 28. Liles said the layoff was probably a factor in her team’s rough outing, but they should be plenty revved up heading into Allen.   

    Particularly since Keller Central gave them such a hard test.    Leading 14-8 in Game 5, Marcus watched as the Chargers rallied with four-consecutive points to get within two of a major upset.

    Marcus wasn’t to be denied this time, as Kaitlin Samford drove up to the net and muscled a shot through two Charger defenders – who tipped the ball out of bounds for the win.   

    “I was just excited that it was finally over and that we were moving on,” said Lyndi Johnson of Samford’s game winning shot. “I think we possibly were thinking ahead too much. We did good, it just took us a while to get there.”   

    Marcus had 10 hitting errors in Game 1 alone as Keller Central erased what was a 5-3 Marcus lead and jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the blink of an eye. Marcus did rally, but never seemed completely focused, losing 25-16.    

    In games two and three, Marcus got back to what it does best – aggressive serves – and it paid off. Johnson had four kills in Game 2 alone and accounted for two of Marcus’ three points down the stretch to even the game at 1-1.    

    But Marcus was thrown for a loop when Keller Central rebounded to take Game 4. Central went on a 9-3 run and a 5-2 run to put some serious pressure on Marcus in what could have been the close out game. Marcus rallied late to take a 24-23 lead, but the Chargers responded with three-straight points.   

    “They just wouldn’t die,” Liles said. “I’ve got to give it to Keller Central because they obviously were a lot more relaxed and ready to play than we were tonight. They are a very offensive team, and we knew that coming in. We just needed to serve aggressive and it worked.”