If the Jim Thorpe Lady Olympians volleyball team would have played with the tenacity they showed in the third game against Tamaqua the outcome may have been different. The Lady Raiders however, fought through the scrappy Thorpe run in the last game to blank the Lady Olympians in straight games.

What the Lady Raiders lack in size was made up by their athleticism and it showed as Tamaqua was flying all over the floor having no problem dealing with the Thorpe strikers. The first two games showcased the power of Tamaqua as it constantly blasted the ball into the middle of the Jim Thorpe defense."Were a small team but when our serving is really good were a tough team", added Tamaqua Head Coach Stacey Setlock. "Our starters pretty much play the whole game and when your small and have to rely so much on athletic ability I think it takes a toll on our girls in the later games."Tamaqua beat JT 25-9 and 25-18 in the first two games but showed some fatigue throughout the third game beating themselves at times and opening the door for a lively Thorpe team."We need to become a lot more consistent team", said Setlock. "In that last game we were committing a lot of errors and just smacking at the ball. We definitely need to get in a routine this season where we play solid the whole match."Jim Thorpe certainly gave the Lady Raiders all they could handle in the third after showing no signs of life in the first two games. After JT tied it up twice at 20-20 and then 25-25, Tamaqua's Rylee Devlin stepped to service line and finished off the Lady Olympians, 27-25."We had a rough opening two games so it was good for the girls to get some confidence back in that third game", said Jim Thorpe first year Head Coach Angela Lobien. "Our passing looked a lot better and our movement was a lot better too."The Lady Olympians had a tough season last year going 1-18, but Lobien believes her team just needs to build some confidence to improve."I told the girls that they proved they could hang in there with a good team with the way they played in that third game," said Lobien. "Our goals are to improve our record and make leagues."Tamaqua's Jackie McMullen had 16 service points, two aces, and five assists. Sara Paluck chipped in with five service points, three aces, three kills, and two digs.Riley Carroll had four assists, Shannon Green had two kills and two blocks, and Amanda Petrin totaled five digs for Jim Thorpe.With the win Tamaqua improves to 1-1. The Lady Olympians fall to 0-2.