With only home matches remaining on the schedule, Aberdeen Christian started out its final homestand on a positive note Thursday night.

The Knights collected their four straight sweep in a 25-20, 25-11, 25-10 Lake Region Conference volleyball win over Leola-Frederick at the Christian School Gym.

The night was highlighted noting a career milestone, as senior Libero Alexis Isakson recorded her 2,000th career dig.

“I’m just really happy to be on this team,” Isakson said, reflecting on the milestone and the bond she shares with her teammates.

The key to the victory was energy, according to Christian coach Sally Stoebner.

 “We looked like we needed to wake up a little,” Stoebner said, “but after that, we played lights out.”

Ari Johnson continued to be dominant at the net with 12 kills, and proved to be a difficult matchup for the Titans.

 “She’s a tough, tough hitter in that front row,” said Leola-Frederick coach Holly Mueller, “and she can hit it all over the court.”

In the opening set, Leola-Frederick struggled to find rhythm offensively, recording fewer than four kills and giving up several unforced errors. Christian took full advantage, staying consistent and capitalizing on those mistakes.

While the Titans ended up getting swept, Mueller was proud of her team’s resilience.

“I think one main thing is our players always fight back,” Mueller said.

The Knights were able to set the tone for the evening from behind the service line, preventing the Titans from establishing consistent offense.

“I think their servers got in a couple of our girls’ heads right away,” Mueller said. “We just couldn’t put a series of points together and overcome that.”

Christian’s strong serving and steady play kept the pressure on the Titans the entire match.

Sawyer Schwan made a big impact from the service line for the Knights, racking up three aces in a row during the first set.

“I think it’s awesome that she’s getting that serve in bounds,” Stoebner said, “because we’ve had a lot of service errors in the past, and I think she’s doing an awesome job.”

The Knights’ offense was well-distributed, with four players each recording five or more kills.

When asked how the team plans to maintain its momentum and carry the win into the next match, Isakson said, “I think just staying positive and encouraging everyone, and just using our successes to build a bunch for the next game.”

Her focus on positivity and teamwork highlights the strong bond and determination of the team to keep improving as the season is quickly drawing to a close. 

Christian’s defense also shined against the Titans, with three Knights recording six or more digs. 

The Knights, 12-8 on the season, will head into their final week of the regular season with three more home matches, facing Webster on Monday, followed by Ipswich on Tuesday, and Ellendale, N.D. on Friday.

Serving: Leola-Frederick 34-41 4 aces (Eden Podoll 9-9 2 aces, Kalyce Achen 4-4); Christian (Sawyer Schwan 4 aces, Ari Johnson 3 aces).

Hitting: Leola-Frederick 84-95 13 kills (Kalyce Achen 17-17 3 kills, Kaitlyn Mueller 17-17 2 kills, Podoll 19-19 3 kills); Christian (Johnson 12 kills, Jolie Fogarty 9 kills, Sophie Glynn 6 kills, Reagan Jett 5 kills).

Setting: Leola-Frederick 75-77 10 assists (Tayler Vetter 32-34 5 assists, Podoll 25-25 4 assists); Christian (Schwan 28 assists).

Digs: Leola-Frederick 58 (Mueller 20, Ashtyn Hatlewick 11); Christian (Alexis Isakson 10, Jolie Fogarty 6, Schwan 6).

Blocks: Aberdeen Christian (Schwan 2, Johnson 1).

Records: Leola-Frederick 2-14; Christian 12-8.