THS was shaky from the opening set, but used two key rallies to take down Atchison in straight sets at home, 25-21, 25-23, 25-20. With the win, the Chieftains improved to 3-0 on the season.

“Nothing beats winning,” coach Tiffany Parker said. “It’s nice to get some confidence early in the season and just build on that confidence and competitive spirit.”

Parker’s squad jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the first set, but Atchison clawed back to take a 17-16 advantage. THS answered with a 6-1 run to go back in front by four, but then gave up three straight to make it 22-21. An Atchison serving error gave the ball back to the Chieftains, who then scored the next two points to take a 1-0 lead.

The battle for momentum carried over to the second set, as the teams raced out to a 12-12 tie. Four straight points gave Tonganoxie a brief advantage, but once again, AHS had an answer. It rattled off an 8-1 run for a 20-17 lead, then the teams traded the next six points. Parker called a timeout with her squad trailing 23-20, and the Chieftains closed out the set with five straight points.

“We all kind of looked at each other and decided it was time to come out and play the way we can,” Parker said. “I kind of challenged them a little bit. They know what they can do, and it was time to come out and show it.”

The strong finish didn’t translate into a hot start to the third set, in which Atchison jumped out to an 8-2 lead early. Forced to play catch-up, THS cut the deficit to 15-10 midway through the set. It took control from there with nine straight points — part of a 13-2 run that gave it a 23-17 lead.

Atchison scored the next three points, but back-to-back kills by Summer Cerny and Cheyenne Ford ended the rally attempt and capped off the second THS sweep in three matches.

Unlike its rally in the second set, the Chieftains didn’t need a timeout to regain their composure.

“We really just tell each other ‘don’t get frazzled,'” said senior Summer Cerny, who led the team with eight kills. “That’s what keeps us going. That way, we don’t have to use up our timeouts. We’re strong on the court as far as gathering ourselves.”

Tonganoxie has lost just one set through its first three matches. It opened the season Sept. 2 with a sweep of Turner at home, then rebounded from an opening-set loss Thursday at Eudora to win in four. Parker said a controversial call by an official rattled the Cardinals early in the second set, allowing THS to find its footing and take control of the match.

The Chieftains will have arguably their toughest test of the season Thursday when they welcome Frontier League opponent Baldwin to town for a non-league dual. THS dropped two regular season meetings with the Bulldogs last season, including a dual loss in straight sets at BHS.

“We’ve been working real hard in practice on some of our different individual skills, and Thursday will be a great test,” Parker said. “They’ve got some great hitters and some tall kids that know what we’re doing. I think it’ll be a high-intensity match, so I’m excited for it.”