A boisterous student body helped rally the Jim Thorpe girls volleyball team Thursday evening against rival Lehighton.

There were no league playoff implications involved, but an Olympian fandom of supporters made life tough for the Indians, who lost their footing early and never could recover.

It did take four sets for Thorpe to gain the win, and it turned out to be a “grand” evening for Maura Malaska, who reached a milestone with her 1,000th career assist.

The Olympians captured the first two sets 25-13, 25-14 before the visitors interrupted Thorpe’s sweep attempt with a 25-22 victory in set No. 3. The Olympians rebounded and delivered the knockout punch with a 25-13 score in the fourth game.

Malaska was pleased with her feat, but said the big thing was defeating their rivals.

“Yeah, I thought about it all day in class,” said the senior of reaching the mark and playing the Indians. “They always give us a run for our money, these games can be emotional.”

Thorpe came out of the gate fast and had all the momentum late in the first set. The Olympians then carried it over to the second set.

The winners were getting contributions from everyone. If it wasn’t Malaska, it was Abbey Kuhn. It also helped that Jaylah Yeakel, Brooklyn Yuhas and Kimora Seales-Griffith were cooking up some heat with their play.

“We’re a relatively young team, but our kids did a great job,” Jim Thorpe head coach Rachel Oliver said. “When we played them at their home, it was the exact same thing … we let down in that third set and I said, ‘Guys, let it go.’”

After putting Lehighton in an early hole with its first-set win, Thorpe raced to an impressive 7-0 start in the second. The lead got to 20-11, and there was no catching the Olympians as Malaska celebrated her achievement in the set.

“It was amazing how our kids came out,” said Malaska, acknowledging the student body. “I didn’t want to tell anybody, I didn’t want to jinx it … even though I know I was going to get it.”

Reaching that goal was also on the mind of Malaska’s coach.

“I’m so proud of her, it was the talk all week, but I kept telling (our) team, ‘Don’t tell her … just let it happen,’” said Oliver.

The usual celebratory happenings stopped the game, and congratulations were in order.

“I knew I was going to get it, but I wanted my friend Remy (Gorski), she’s our outside hitter, and I wanted to get the ball to her,” said Malaska about executing the assist. “We’ve been friends and played ... since we were like eight years old.”

Lehighton managed to find some “oomph” of its own late in the third set.

Ignoring the two-game deficit, the Indians received splendid play from Sophia Serfass, Aleea Yeakel and Autumn Clewell.

The Indians trailed 17-13, and were on the brink of elimination when they surged behind Laney Kershner’s two kills, along with the top-notch serving of Maddie Serfass and Clewell.

Lehighton tied the score at 18-18, and then used a 7-3 spurt to secure the win.

“Volleyball is a game of momentum, and I thought we did a good job of finding it,” said Lehighton mentor Lauren Nietz.

The momentum proved to be short-lived, though, as Thorpe exploded in both vengeance, and classic fundamental play.

With Gorski serving, Thorpe rang up seven unanswered points for a 17-8 lead in the fourth set. The only interruption came on a kill by Serfass. But that proved to be Lehighton’s last gasp, as the Olympians outscored the Indians 8-4 to settle the issue.

“This was insane the way our kids came out for us, and backed us,” said Malaska, basking in the euphoria of her big evening.

QUOTABLE I … “It is hard to come into a place like this with the crowd so loud,” Nietz said about the noisy atmosphere.

QUOTABLE II … “The support for (Malaska) was amazing, the whole school was (rooting) for her,” added Oliver.

Jim Thorpe 3, Lehighton 1

Lehighton 13 14 25 13

Jim Thorpe 25 25 22 25

Stat Leaders: Lehighton - Autumn Clewell 16 assists, 4 kills, 7 digs; Laney Kershner 6 kills, 2 aces; Juliana Ebbert 6 kills; Breanna Demage 9 digs, 3 assists; Sophia Serfass 4 kills; Alexis Holben 8 digs; Jim Thorpe - Jaylah Yeakel 14 kills, 13 digs; Remy Gorski 12 kills, 17 digs; Maura Malaska 25 assists; Brooklyn Yuhas 10 digs.

Records: Lehighton (4-11); Jim Thorpe (5-7).