Lehighton needed some time to get acclimated Monday night at Northwestern Lehigh’s Tigers Gymnasium.

The Indians were without starting setter Breanna Demage, and it took a while for her teammates to adjust.

That allowed Northwestern to race out to a 20-1 lead and win the opening set 25-7. From there, the Indians settled in and made some impressive runs, but ultimately fell 3-1 to the Tigers.

The highlight of the opening set was sophomore Hailey Rex serving 19 straight points to turn a 1-1 tie into a 20-1 Northwestern advantage.

After a pair of timeouts, Lehighton coach Marsha Thomas helped her team regroup and begin adjusting to the absence of its starting setter.

“I was running with my JV setter and a varsity player who has just kind of taken on some setting, so we were missing a key piece of our framework,” said Thomas. “We had to work with our setters on how to adjust and let them know that they weren’t going to get the sets they normally get, and we slowly adjusted.”

In the second set, Lehighton looked much more cohesive. The teams were tied six times, with the lead changing hands on three occasions.

The Tigers gradually built a 15-12 lead, only to see freshman Mallory Snyder serve five straight points for Lehighton, with Allison Solt recording two blocks during the stretch to give the Indians a 17-15 advantage.

Northwestern continued to battle, and a kill by Cecilia Edgar returned the serve to the Tigers. Anna Ebeling’s block helped Northwestern cut the deficit to 22-20, but the Tigers couldn’t get any closer as Lehighton took the set 25-21.

The third set began with a special moment for Northwestern senior Daisy Stringer, who has been sidelined all season with a torn meniscus.

The coaches agreed before the match that Stringer, who is still wearing a brace and using crutches, could serve the opening point, with Lehighton allowing the serve to go unreturned.

Stringer then returned to the bench, and Kayla Schaffer served the next point. Lehighton returned the serve, but Northwestern allowed the ball to go unplayed, tying the set at 1-1.

It was a fitting tribute on Senior Night.

“It felt so good just to get out there, it was the best feeling in the world. They worked to find a way to get me on the court one last time and I am really thankful for that,” said Stringer, who will continue her academic and athletic careers at Penn State Hazleton.

Stringer watched from the bench as Schaffer later served five straight points and Jaelyn McAdams added six for Northwestern, helping the Tigers cruise to a 25-11 victory.

Lehighton came out strong in the fourth set, taking a 13-7 lead before Alexis Holben delivered a pair of aces during a six-point service run that extended the Indians’ advantage to 20-10.

But Northwestern wasn’t finished.

McAdams delivered another impressive stretch from the service line, serving the final 15 points of the set. The sophomore recorded four aces, and got help from two blocks by Edgar down the stretch as the Tigers rallied for a 25-20 victory to close out the match.

“In that fourth set, all of the seniors were in, and it got a little rough for a second, but eventually we did pull through,” said Ebeling, a senior. “We put our normal lineup back in and Jaelyn served great and gave us what we needed to get the win.”

CRUNCH TIME ... Northwestern (16-5, 15-2) is seeded third in the District 11 Class 4A rankings, and solidified its hold on second place in the Colonial League standings with Monday’s victory.

While Lehighton (11-8, 10-7) has secured a district playoff berth, its spot in the Colonial League playoffs remains uncertain.

Only the top four teams qualify, and Lehighton’s lead over Saucon Valley (9-7) has narrowed to a half-game. The Indians hold the tiebreaker over the Panthers, meaning a victory in their league finale against Jim Thorpe (8-8) would guarantee them the final playoff spot.