The Mineola Lady Jackets placed a marker in their season’s journey with a 25-21, 25-23, 26-24 win last Tuesday over the visiting Athens Lady Hornets. 

It may have been the toughest challenge yet for the Lady Jackets. Athens fields a strong team, with talented strikers and a highly organized attack. They are tall, athletic and long-armed. A number of Lady Hornets are able to play above the net.

In the early stages of game one, Athens played offense and the Lady Jackets simply reacted. The Lady Hornets opened leads of 11-5 and 17-10. Mineola striker Brittany Pickle, who had an excellent night, then went out with a left foot injury.

The Jackets rallied. Scores by Tahjae Black and Valerie Garcia propelled the home side to tie the game at 19. Pickle’s return further buoyed the Jackets.

A light drop shot by Mylee Fischer and a block by Garcia secured game one.

The two teams boxed throughout game two. The only significant lead of the game was when Mineola went up 20-15. However, Athens came right back to tie the game at 21.

The Lady Jackets finished strong at the net and closed game two with a Pickle kill from the left wing. 

Despite the closeness of the games two and three, Mineola had clearly upset both the timing and tempo of their opponents. The Lady Jackets stole the Hornets’ confidence and never let them regain it.

Game three featured 11 ties, but there never appeared to be any doubt among the Lady Jackets about the outcome. 

Mineola really began to hammer the ball in game three. Emphatic kills and blocks by Garcia, Fischer and Pickle combined with multiple aces by Garcia and Caidyn Anderson proved too much for the Lady Hornets.

It was a significant team win, with a number of players stepping up to make just the right play at the right time. The team played hard.

Their willingness to grind out each point is what made the difference. 

After hosting Brookhill Tuesday, the Lady Jackets open district play Sept. 22 at home with Mt. Vernon.