A highly entertaining back-and-forth Trinity League opener between the JSerra Girls Volleyball team and Santa Margarita went the distance on Monday evening before the Eagles outlasted the Lions 25-18, 25-27, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10 at Santa Margarita Catholic High School.
The Lions are now 14-7 overall and 0-1 in league.
After tallying nine of the last 14 points to close out the first set, the Eagles forged a 24-21 lead in the second set and appeared primed for a commanding 2-0 lead.
But the Lions clawed back, and an ace from junior Catherine Beadles (who led the team with five in the match), gave JSerra a 25-24 lead.
An ace from senior Mikaela Brennan ended the set in the Lions’ favor and tied the match.
The two teams were tied 15-15 in the third set before the Eagles closed with a 10-4 run to take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was another back-and-forth struggle that featured 14 ties, the final coming at 20-20.
It was the Lions that closed strong down the stretch, winning five of the final seven points to send the match to a fifth and deciding set.
Santa Margarita charged out to a 5-0 lead, but JSerra responded yet again and narrowed the deficit to 8-7 on a block at the net by Beadles.
But after the teams traded the next two points, the Eagles found one last closing burst and claimed six of the final seven points to close out the victory.
Sophomore Katherine Nowak led the Lions with 11 kills, while junior Charlotte Nowak had eight kills, and Brennan recorded seven kills.
In addition to her team-leading ace total, Beadles had team-highs in assists (34) and solo blocks (three).
Five Lions' recorded double-digit dig totals, led by freshman libero Madi Goodrich who had 17.
