There were no tears for the Marion Indians following the championship match of the Wamac Conference volleyball tournament Tuesday night, just a fierce determination to beat powerful West Delaware if they happen to meet in the state tournament again this year.

The Indians had their chances Tuesday before losing a tight match to West Delaware, 25-23, 25-20, in the Wamac finals at Marion High School.

The first set was tied, 23-23, before the Hawks captured the last two points. And Marion owned a 17-12 lead in the second set before the Hawks rallied and took control.

The Indians know West Delaware has a terrific program, but they also know they're not far away from getting the job done. West Delaware nipped Marion, 3-2, in the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament last year and nipped them again Tuesday in the league finals.

"I don't know if it's psychological. I just think it's getting over the hump and knowing that we can win, knowing that we are a good enough team," senior Alyssa Thomas said. "I think that's something we have to realize.

"Tonight we got beat, but that doesn't mean we can't beat them the next time," she said. "We just have to realize that we're still a good enough team to do what we need to do."

Thomas had a flurry of five kills to help Marion take its 17-12 lead in the second set, but things went haywire for the home team from there. West Delaware scored six straight points for an 18-17 lead en route to the 25-20 verdict.

Marion tied at 18-18, but West Delaware won the next four points.

"They won some long rallies and that gave them some momentum," said junior Isabella Sade, who had some vicious kills for Marion during the match. "We made some errors that we shouldn't have."

The Indians had a victory in Game 2 within their grasp, but West Delaware took it away. The Indians also had a golden opportunity in Game 1, but could not get the big points at the end.

"I think the big thing is playing error-free at that point," Marion coach Roxanne Paulsen said. "Just being sure we're aggressive and play for it and not worry about the outcome."

Paulsen thinks there might have been a psychological factor Tuesday night for some of her players against a state power.

"It's getting them all convinced that it's just another team, it's just another match," she said. "And that's tough sometimes when you're playing a team that has the reputation like West Delaware."

But make no mistake, the Indians would like another shot at the Hawks in the state tournament.

"I think we're right there," said Sade. "We're not there yet, but I think -- hopefully -- we'll be able to get them."

West Delaware, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, owns a 44-2 record this season, with its only losses to a pair of ranked Class 5A teams in Linn-Mar and Ankeny Centennial. The Hawks finished 45-3 last year, giving them an 89-5 record the last two years.

West Delaware plays with immense poise and confidence, no matter the score of a particular match. "They don't beat themselves," Paulsen said.

Marion, which is ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, has a 28-8 record this year. The Indians won five straight matches to reach the Wamac Conference finals before being turned away.

"Obviously it's hard to lose. It's the conference tournament and we wanted to win. All the seniors wanted it," Thomas said.

"But they're awesome," she said, saluting West Delaware. "At least it was fun. They're a really good team to play against. You have to give it to them. They run a super-fast offense."

Marion topped Mount Vernon, 2-0, in the quarterfinals Tuesday night and swept Western Dubuque, 2-0, in the semifinals.