SKANEATELES - The Jordan-Elbridge girls volleyball team has had its ups and downs this season, but on opening day of the season, they were able to take powerhouse rival Skaneateles to four matches. The Eagles lost the game, but they took heart in knowing they were able to fight back in the final two matches after putting up just 18 points in the first two.

The route was similar for the Eagles when they met their Liberty American league rivals again on Tuesday, but the outcome was unfortunately the same for them as well, losing 25-10, 25-7, 25-15. Jordan-Elbridge was lackluster for most of the game, which could be attributed in the long break between games. The Eagles last played Jan. 2, in a win over Hannibal.

“We were kind of flat today,” Jordan-Elbridge coach Jim Sherman said. “We haven't played in a week and Skaneateles is a good team.”

The Lakers' only game plan was to not let themselves down. Skaneateles isn't really accustomed to losing, onlyfalling twice so far this season to Marcellus.

“We handled Jordan-Elbridge the first time this year, so we knew it wasn't going to be really competitive,” Lakers coach Doreen Doctor said. “It was one of those games that you just have to stay with, so it was good for us.”

The Lakers piled on 14 aces, most of them coming in the final two matches. The Lakers' only freshman, Emily Wood, played well at the net, leading in that category with four, all in the final game.

Skaneateles jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the first match and the Eagles only got as close as 15-5 later on. Anna Leiss played well in that game for the Lakers, with three aces early. Jordan-Elbridge seemed to falter in confidence after the first game and only got as close as a 3-3 tie in the opening minutes of the second game.

After putting up 15 points, the Lakers went on a 10-1 run to take a 2-0 lead. Four out-of-bounds blocks by Eagles senior Colleen Manley was also a contributing factor.

“We wanted to get some first passes,” Sherman said. “We started off OK, but then Skaneateles ran a few on us and we got a little bit down on ourselves. We need to improve on confidence. When something goes wrong, they need to come back on the next point, and if they miss a hit, they have to come back and swing on the next one.”

Jordan-Elbridge played its best game in the third match. Ann Filkins recorded two kills early, and the Eagles went on a small run late, getting as close as 21-15. Lyndsay Hollis led the Eagles on the night with two kills, one assist and two blocks. Amanda Poppe tallied four assists and Rachel Lopez scored two aces.

Kelsey Bennett served well and recorded four kills for Skaneateles. Brittany Bird and Krissy Ryan both had six kills, while Ryan also made four blocks.

“We look to (Krissy) so much,” Doctor said. “She's a good leader and she is one of our main players as well. Kelsey also stepped up for us tonight.”

The Lakers (9-2) are at Solvay Thursday, while the Eagles (3-7) host Westhill.

“We've been having some ups and downs this year, but we focused very well tonight,” Doctor said. “The kids stayed within our game, being aggressive and attacking out there. We were definitely aggressive at the net like we were supposed to be and I liked the way we passed the ball. We've had to change our lineup so much and we're just trying to get together and get to be a unit again.”