Lehighton had already secured a spot in the District 11 volleyball playoffs.

Thursday night, the Indians made sure their postseason would begin a little earlier.

Behind a balanced offensive effort, timely serving and an ability to withstand several Jim Thorpe rallies, Lehighton earned a 3-1 victory over the Olympians to secure fourth place in the Colonial League standings and a berth in the league playoffs.

The Indians prevailed 27-25, 25-13, 21-25 and 25-22, avenging a 3-1 loss to Jim Thorpe on Sept. 17 while closing out the regular season with a performance that reflected the growth coach Marsha Thomas has seen in her team.

“I think we’re a little bit later in the season. I think some of our players have a lot more confidence after the last meeting,” Thomas said.

“We worked really hard on our mental reset game, and I don’t know that we had that in the first meeting with these guys.”

That composure was tested almost immediately.

Jim Thorpe jumped ahead 8-4 in the opening set before Lehighton battled back to tie the score at 9. The Indians eventually built a 17-12 advantage, but the Olympians refused to go away.

Jim Thorpe rallied to take a 24-23 lead, putting itself in position to claim the opener. Lehighton answered, and the teams continued trading points through ties at 24 and 25 before Allison Solt delivered the decisive block to give the Indians a 27-25 victory.

Lehighton carried that momentum into the second set.

After Jim Thorpe grabbed an early 2-0 lead, the Indians took control, moving ahead 11-7 and extending the margin to 20-12. Lehighton eventually built a 24-13 advantage before Solt finished the set with an ace.

Solt played a major role throughout the match, finishing with 12 kills, five blocks and an ace. Julianna Lucykanish added 10 kills and two aces, while Bree Yeakel distributed 25 assists.

But Jim Thorpe wasn’t finished.

The Olympians responded with their strongest stretch of the match in the third set, racing to a 10-3 lead and eventually stretching the advantage to 18-10.

Lehighton attempted to rally, trimming the deficit to 24-21, but Aubrey Stamets delivered a set-winning kill to give Jim Thorpe a 25-21 victory and force a fourth set.

Jim Thorpe coach Rachel Oliver credited Stamets for her willingness to attack and contribute defensively.

“I think Aubrey Stamets, number 13, she’s my right-side hitter,” Oliver said. “I think she was not scared to hit the ball. She was making good, good plays, making good defense. I think she really stepped it up.”

Stamets finished with nine kills and four digs, while Brooklynn Yuhas added seven kills and five digs. Leah Hartman contributed 22 assists, while Gabriella Oliver recorded 13 digs for the Olympians.

The fourth set followed a similar pattern, only with the roles reversed.

Lehighton built a 15-8 advantage and stretched its lead to 20-10, appearing poised to put the match away comfortably.

Instead, Jim Thorpe mounted another comeback.

The Olympians cut the deficit to 21-17 and then 21-19, putting pressure on the Indians in the closing stages.

Lehighton responded by moving ahead 23-20 and eventually 24-22, setting the stage for freshman Mallory Snyder to deliver the match-winning ace.

Snyder finished with four aces, providing a spark from the service line at several points during the match.

“Well, I got to give credit to Mallory Snyder,” Thomas said. “I mean, she delivered the game — or the match-winning ace. She’s a freshman.”

Thomas also praised the contributions of her entire lineup.

“Everybody had a piece of this win, and I think that’s great,” she said.

Along with Solt and Lucykanish, Lehighton received six kills from Laney Kershner, four aces from Sophia Serfass and 13 digs from Aleea Yeakel.

Oliver acknowledged Lehighton’s effort, particularly its relentless play and strong serving.

“I mean, Lehighton, they wanted it more than we did tonight,” Oliver said. “They were relentless. They attacked every single ball. They did not give up on balls, and their serves were awesome.”

LOOKING AHEAD ... Despite the loss, Oliver viewed the match as an opportunity for the Olympians to improve before the District 11 postseason. “I always look at it as a learning experience,” she said. “So we go back to the drawing board, we get back in the gym and we work it all out for districts.”

UP NEXT ... For Lehighton, the victory means an additional opportunity to compete before the district tournament begins. The four-team league tournament begins Tuesday. “This locks us for fourth place in the Colonial League,” Thomas said. “We had already qualified for districts, but this sends us into the postseason in league play.”

Lehighton 3, Jim Thorpe 1

Jim Thorpe 25 13 25 22

Lehighton 27 25 21 25

Statistics: Lehighton: Bree Yeakel 25 assists, 3 kills, 2 aces, 5 digs; Laney Kershner 6 kills, 1 block; Julianna Lucykanish 10 kills, 2 aces, 4 digs; Allison Solt 12 kills, 5 blocks, 1 ace, 2 digs; Sophia Serfass 3 kills, 4 aces, 6 digs; Aleea Yeakel 1 kill, 13 digs; Alexis Holben 1 kill, 1 assist, 2 aces, 9 digs; Mallory Snyder 4 aces, 3 digs. Jim Thorpe: Aubrey Stamets 9 kills, 4 digs; Brooklynn Yuhas 7 kills, 5 digs; Remy Gorski 5 kills, 5 digs, 4 aces; Gabriella Oliver 13 digs; Leah Hartman 22 assists; Kimora Seales-Griffith 6 blocks.

Records: Lehighton (12-8; 10-7); Jim Thorpe (9-9; 9-8).