As it prepared for a key Tuesday match against OHSL Liberty division leader Skaneateles, the Jordan-Elbridge volleyball team was far from rusty, having gone through a tournament and a long match with Phoenix.
All of that had begun when the Eagles visited Hannibal for a tournament during the holiday break — and finished in third place.
During round-robin play, J-E swept Port Byron 25-17, 28-26, split with Phoenix (a 25-19 win and a 27-25 loss) and dropped two games to the host Hannibal Warriors.
J-E would end up in the third-place match against Phoenix. In a long and exhausting battle, the Eagles beat the Firebirds in five games.
The first game set an exciting tone, as J-E got the points in the end to prevail 25-22. A long second game followed, with both teams squandering numerous chances at game points before Phoenix won 31-29 to draw even.
Even though the Firebirds also won the third game 25-23, J-E did not surrender or get discouraged. Instead, it seemed to get stronger as the match wore on, winning the fourth game 25-20 and taking control in the fifth game to claim a 25-17 victory.
Erika Peterson, with five kills, six digs and two aces, made the All-Tournament team, while Alicia Andrianos produced seven kills and six aces, and Lindsy Geery had a strong showing with 10 assists, seven aces and seven digs.
Elsewhere, Carey Harvey earned a team-best 14 assists, adding three aces. Katie Bard had six kills, with Sam Lewis earning five aces. Alicia Norfolk hustled on the back line to earn 11 digs as Breanna Peters picked up four aces and two kills.
