THS won the first match, 25-22, but Ottawa flipped the script with 25-21, 25-22 victories. Tonganoxie would need a victory in Set 4 to force the decisive fifth set. After a commanding 25-16 victory in the fourth set, the teams battled back and forth in Set 5. THS held off an Ottawa rally late and prevailed, 15-13.

Tonganoxie coach Barry Lenth liked how his squad stayed the course and didn’t crack despite falling behind after the third set.

“I liked that mental toughness to get to that fourth set,” he explained. “I think we are getting the mental toughness.”

The Chieftains also continue to adjust to a new lineup with the loss of Kalea Baldock during Saturday’s Rossville Invitational. The sophomore setter suffered a season-ending knee injury during the tourney. She’ll eventually be back on the court, but not this season due to the torn ACL.

Tonganoxie’s victory against Ottawa (3-1 in Frontier League play and 7-8 overall) moved the Chieftains to 2-0 in league play and 12-2 overall.After starting the season 0-2, THS has rattled off 12 straight victories, including two against Silver Lake at the Rossville Invitational. The Eagles (15-4) are ranked No. 5 in Class 3A.

MaxPreps has Tonganoxie ranked No. 1 in 4A, but that status will be on the line with a salty invitational field on the Chieftains’ home court this weekend. Matches start at 8 a.m. at Chieftain Arena and the auxiliary gymnasium (longtime main gymnasium) to the west.

Pool B teams will play in Chieftain Arena, while Pool A will be inside the auxiliary gymnasium.

Pool A has 6A’s Topeka High (5-5), 5A teams Blue Valley Southwest (13-5) and Turner (2-8), 4A’s Ottawa (7-8) and 2A’s St. Marys (7-5).

Pool B has 6A teams Gardner-Edgerton (6-5) and Junction City (1-5), 5A squads Piper (6-7) and 4A squads Eudora (9-3) and Tonganoxie (12-2).

Joining THS as ranked teams in the tournament are Eudora (No. 8 in 4A), Ottawa (No. 10 in 4A), St. Marys (No. 8 in 4A) and BV Southwest (No. 8 in 5A).

There will be a 30-minute break after pool play concludes for the medal round. The championship and third-place matches will take place at Chieftain Arena, while fifth- and seventh-place matches will take place in the auxiliary gymnasium.

Here’s a look at the pool play schedule:

POOL A

Court 1

Tonganoxie vs. Gardner-Edgerton

Tonganoxie vs. Junction City

Piper vs. Junction City

Tonganoxie vs. Piper

Tonganoxie vs. Eudora

Court 2

Eudora vs. Junction City

Eudora vs. Piper

Eudora vs. Gardner-Edgerton

Gardner-Edgerton vs. Junction City

Piper vs. Gardner-Edgerton

POOL B

Court 3

Blue Valley Southwest vs. Topeka High

Blue Valley Southwest vs. Turner

Ottawa vs. Turner

Blue Valley Southwest vs. Ottawa

Blue Valley Southwest vs. St. Marys

Court 4

St. Marys vs. Turner

St. Marys vs. Ottawa

St. Marys vs. Topeka High

Topek High vs. Turner

Ottawa vs. Topeka High