RAPID CITY – Aberdeen Christian showed poise under pressure Friday afternoon at the Class B State Volleyball Tournament.

The Knights came up big when it mattered most in a 28-26, 25-22, 26-24 sweep of Arlington in the consolation bracket at The Monument.

Christian fought off two set points to win the opening set, played with a lead for the entire second set, and then found a way to close out the match by scoring the final two points in a tight third set.

“I told the girls we just have to play our game,” said Christian coach Maggie Jett. “I think that first set we were way to worried about what they were doing on the other side. We tried to make some adjustments, anticipating what we were going to see from them instead of trusting our game and the process we’ve been doing all year.”

Winning the first set was big in multiple ways. It put the Cardinals in a hole they were never able to crawl out of and it gave the Christian players some confidence they used for the remainder of the close match.

“It’s definitely important to win the first set, because it sets the tone for the next couple of sets,” said Christian senior setter Kaylee Block. ” We always have the win first set so we keep our confidence up.”

It was Emily Schwan who served back-to-back aces for the winning points in the opening set. She finished with a match-high five aces in all.

“I think everybody played with a lot more confidence, Emily in particular,” Jett said. “I think she’s had her best two games of the season (at the state tournament). It’s nice to see her really get back there, and she knows her role and she’s really just going for it and that’s key.”

The Knights finished with 38 kills in a balanced attack. Hanna Miller had 13, Mallory Miller nine and Mary Fites eight.

As Block goes to set the ball, multiple hitters can be heard calling ‘me, me, me.’

That gives Block plenty of options.

“I just pick someone and set it to them,” Block said. “Obviously if someone is having a good night, I throw it to them. They’re all good hitters, so they all can hit it well.”

Block, who recorded her 2,000th career set assist in the victory, finished with 33 on the day, many on pin-point sets that allowed hitters to attack the net with full force.

“I think Kaylee was definitely a lot more relaxed than she was (Thursday) night,” Jett said. “She played great.”

It was Mallory Miller that finished off the Cardinals with back-to-back kills in the final set. The junior often waits until the last possible second before pounding the ball over the net.

“I just kind of swing in bounds,” she said of her shot selection. “You kind of know (where it’s going). You get used to it. I went for the lines tonight. Sometimes I aim for different spots, but tonight I went for the lines, like the outside lines.”

Of course the 6-foot-4 hitter was her usual dominanting force at the net with four total blocks.

Miller said a big block feels a bit different than a forceful kill.

“It’s a special feeling when you do it, because defense feels like kind of more of a team thing,” Miller said, “like you’re doing it for your team instead of for yourself. When you get a big kill, it’s all for yourself.”

Hadley Carlson had 22 kills to power Arlington.

Christian, 24-4 on the season, now plays Chester Area for fifth place at around 10:45 a.m. (Mountain Time).

“I think we’re definitely going to be excited and be confident in how we’re playing,” Block said.

The Knights are definitely not taking any foe for granted in the tourney and will be ready to face the Flyers who entered the tourney as the fourth seed.

“You don’t come to state and expect to just roll over anybody,” Jett said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s always fun to play new teams. The girls are ready. They’re still hungry despite the loss (to Warner Thursday) and hoping to finish strong.”

Serving: Arlington 8 aces (Hadley Carlson 5, Erin Haufschild 2, Natalie Burns 1); Aberdeen Christian 9 aces (Emily Schwan 5, Joy Rohrbach 1, Kaylee Block 1, Mary Fites 1, Chloe Bosma 1).

Hitting: Arlington 39 kills (Carlson 22, Haufschild 6, Morgan Larsen 5); Aberdeen Christian 38 kills (Hanna Miller 13, Mallory Miller 9, Fites 8, Grace Kaiser 6).

Setting: Arlington 36 assists (Grace Parry 32); Aberdeen Christian 35 assists (Block 33).

Digs: Arlington 89 (Carlson 23, Harley Johnson 15, Parry 13, Larsen 13); Aberdeen Christian 88 (Rohrbach 29, Block 19, Fites 16 H. Miller 9, Ruth Hulscher 9).

Blocks: Arlington 1 solo 2 assists (Carlson 1 solo, Parry 1 assist, Larsen 1 assist); Aberdeen Christian 2 solos 6 assists (M. Mallory 2 solos 2 assists, Fites 2 assists, Block 1 assist, Kaiser 1 assist).

Records: Arlington 30-7; Aberdeen Christian 24-4.