ROSCOE – Aberdeen Christian finished strong to grab a 20-25, 25-23, 9-25, 25-16, 15-7 win over North Central in Lake Region Conference volleyball action Thursday night.

The Knights overcame a rough third set before controlling both the fourth and fifth sets to secure the win.

“Our team got a well-earned win over a good North Central team,” said Christian coach Sally Stoebner. “We got off to a slow start offensively, but I was really impressed with my team’s ability to come together and dig deep to win set four.”

Ariana Johnson was a force at the net, racking up 30 kills on the night. Jolie Fogarty and Sophie Glynn each contibuted 10 kills.

The Knights set the tone early in the fifth set, jumping out to a 7-3 advantage and never looked back.

“Once we got going offensively, we were pretty hard to stop,” Stoebner said. “I’m just really proud of the grit that my team showed to pull out the win.”

The loss was just the second of the season in eight matches for the Thunder. Amree Vander Vorst led North Central with 20 kills. Lindsey Geier contributed seven kills, four aces, and a team-leading 19 digs.

Christian, now 3-2, plays host to Hitchcock-Tulare on Tuesday before a road match against Wolsey-Wessington on Thursday.

Serving: Aberdeen Christian (Ashley Wysk 2 aces, Alexis Isakson 1 ace, Payton Skarin 1 ace); North Central 88-97 8 aces (Lindsey Geier 28-30 4 aces).

Hitting: Aberdeen Christian (Ariana Johnson 30 kills, Jolie Fogarty 10 kills, Sophie Glynn 10 kills, Reagan Jett 8 kills); North Central 142-158 44 kills (Amree Vander Vorst 48-53 20 kills, Geier 27-31 7 kills, Tylee Vander Vorst 23-25 7 kills).

Digs: Aberdeen Christian (Julie Fogarty 23, Isakson 19, Skarin 17, Sawyer Schwan 15, Sophia Eichler 9); North Central 77 (Geier 19, A. Vander Vorst 18, Alaina Dosch 15, Sydnee Malsam 9).

Records: Aberdeen Christian 3-2; North Central 6-2.