There’s a message teams need to grasp when facing Jim Thorpe’s volleyball team - be prepared to defend serves.

It’s a staple of a Fallabel-coached team.

Olympian mentor Chris Fallabel is no stranger to an attacking, aggressive style of volleyball, and it’s no wonder Thorpe is in contention for a Schuylkill League championship. Simply put, the Olympians can play with anyone in the league.

Monday’s match with another rising program - Lehighton - brought plenty of drama, and a whole horde of excitement on both sides.

While the final score shows Thorpe registered a sweep, the Indians hung tough throughout the match - especially in the opening two sets.

In the end, though, the Olympians’ poise and ability to get critical points off serves was the difference in capturing a 25-20, 25-23, 25-16 victory.

“We’ve got lots of heavy arms on the team, and we’ve got a lot of consistency on the team,” said Fallabel. “I’ll take my 1-thru-6 (servers) up against anybody.”

Figures don’t lie. Laura Malaska finished with 15 service points, while JaeLynn Browdy - just a freshman - registered 14. Junior Brianna Snisky tossed in seven with senior Maggy Hallihan contributing a half-dozen.

The net play of Brooke Mitzen was a factor, as the junior posted 18 kills. Sophomore Kelsey Patton also was strong with 10 kills.

“Everybody did it,” said Fallabel. “Brianna Snisky, out of the middle, got a few key blocks for us when we needed it. Kelsey (Patton) was giving us key attacks right when we needed it.”

In other words, it’s hard to defeat a team that possesses the balance that Thorpe brings to the table.

The win sets up a huge match tonight against undefeated Pottsville (11-0; 10-0). The Crimson Tide handed the Olympians (11-1; 9-1) their only loss on Sept. 7.

But on Monday, Fallabel’s club couldn’t look past Lehighton, who is now 8-6 and 5-3.

“I’ll tell you, our kids battled,” said Lehighton head coach Lauren Neitz. “We’re young. We’re learning each and every time we go out on the court. We’ll learn from it.”

The Tribe gave Thorpe all it could handle in the opening set, with ties at 9, 11 and 12. But with Mitzen serving, the Olympians went on top 19-15. They rattled off three more points on their way to clinching the first set.

Lehighton had the Olympians on the ropes in the second set, racing out to leads of 10-5, 16-11 and 20-15.

Thorpe, however, kept its resolve and slowly cut into the deficit.

Three kills and a return error made it a 22-20 score. Things looked bright for Lehighton when an Olympian miscue gave the Indians a 23-20 lead.

Once again, Thorpe maintained its composure and received an ace from Snisky. Two unforced errors eventually helped Thorpe gain a 24-23 lead before a Mitzen kill clinched the set.

“Once (Mitzen) gets going, she’s tough to stop,” Fallabel said. “(Olivia) Calcano, my libero, came up big and my daughter (Browdy) did a nice job. It was a total team effort.”

The second-set rally created enough momentum for the Olympians to finish off the sweep with a convincing third-set victory.

“Games like these make me excited for the future,” said Neitz. “Hey, those three set wins by (them) were hard-earned. We gave them one heck of a battle. Layla Kershner (libero) made it very difficult for them to run their offense.”

NUMBER CRUNCHING

… Thorpe received a whopping 40 assists from Hallihan, while Autumn Clewell had 16 for Lehighton.

SHE’S OK

… Thomas, the steady and impressive middle/outside player for Thorpe, suffered an asthma attack, but she recovered and finished the game.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

… Neitz had a shoutout for former Marian standout coach Nikki Hackenberg, who held a camp for the Indians. “She instilled our team with mental toughness and values.”