BROOKINGS – The Aberdeen Central volleyball program kicked off its season with a straight-sets sweep of Brookings on the road Tuesday night, claiming the Eastern South Dakota Conference win by set scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 26-24.

“It was a great end to our first match,” said Central coach Jackie Bindenagel. “The kids showed some grit and kept their heads in it at the end of that third set. They had to make some gutsy plays at the end to get the win.”

The Golden Eagles were led by some familiar faces at the top of the stat sheet. Senior Grace Kuch finished with 14 kills and 14 digs, while freshman Lauryn Burckhard had 11 kills and Ashley Wangler finished with seven.

Ayrlie Waldo and Emma Dohrer split the setting duties, tallying 17 and 14 assists, respectively, while Waldo and Madison Miller led the way at the service line, combining for four of the team’s five assists.

“Our stats look decent, and we have a list of things to work on,” Bindenagel said. “It’s always good to get on the court and see how we measure up after two weeks of practice.”

Central heads West River this weekend to face Rapid City Central Friday and Rapid City Stevens Saturday.

Serving: Aberdeen Central 74-76 5 aces (Madison Miller 18-18 2 aces, Ayrlie Waldo 11-11 2 aces).

Hitting: Aberdeen Central 97-108 40 kills (Grace Kuch 32-35 14 kills, Lauryn Burckhard 28-33 11 kills, Ashley Wangler 14-16 7 kills).

Setting: Aberdeen Central 73-73 32 assists (Emma Dohrer 35-35 14 assists, Ayrlie Waldo 36-36 17 assists).

Digs: Aberdeen Central 38 (Kuch 14, Sawyer Bahr 10).

Blocks: Aberdeen Central 1 solo 4 assists (Taryn Hermansen 1 solo 1 assist).