By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians hosted Little Hawkeye Conference newcomer Des Moines Christian for a Tuesday night volleyball match and were defeated by the Lions, 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 15-25, 8-25).

The Indians got off to a strong start against the Lions, with setters Lylah Hughes and Braylie Teeter spreading the ball around well and getting multiple hitters involved. Aleigha Burton and Cylee Smith were the two most frequent targets to finish rallies, but Delaney Harbour, Ireland McGraw, and Reagan Stream each finished with multiple kills as well. The highlight of the first set came when the Indians trailed 8-6 and went on a 9-point run to take a 15-8 advantage; they would hold strong through the end of the first set to win 25-19.

The second set was a back-and-forth affair for much of the way. Oskaloosa and DMC traded 5-point runs midway through the set, and the Indians led 19-17 later on; however, the Lions finished strong thanks to some excellent serving from libero Norah Otis, who racked up 3 aces during a late 7-point run to help the Lions win 25-20.

In the third set, the Indians started well, taking a 6-3 lead early, but the Lions seemingly flipped a switch at that point and dominated the rest of the set, and the rest of the match in general. Down 6-3, DMC went on a monstrous 14-1 run, leaving Oskaloosa looking for answers; their 17-7 lead turned into a 25-15 set victory, and they were not finished yet. The fourth set saw the Lions leap out to a 12-3 lead early and they never looked back, slamming the door shut on the Indians’ comeback bid and ultimately winning 25-8.

Oskaloosa (7-14) gets a week off before their next action, in which they will host the Newton Cardinals on Tuesday, October 6.