BRANDON – Aberdeen Central withstood nearly every challenge an upset-minded Brandon Valley squad could muster, coming away with a tense five-set victory over the Lynx Thursday night in Eastern South Dakota Conference volleyball action.

The Golden Eagles won by set scores of 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 25-15 and 15-13. It’s Central’s second five-set victory in the past week, also edging Yankton last Saturday.

Central, which is receiving votes in the latest poll, had to fight from behind after going down 2 sets to 1. But a dominant fourth frame set up a dramatic fifth that saw the Golden Eagles take a 14-10 lead before holding on for the 15-13 set and match win.

The service line once again played a key role in Central’s success, as the Golden Eagles racked up eight aces. Madison Miller had half of those.

Grace Kuch had another solid night, finishing with 20 kills, 18 digs and three service aces. Freshman Lauryn Burckhard notched 16 kills, while Taryn Nieman and Ashley Wangler led a defensive wall at the net, combining for five solo and four assisted blocks.

Ayrlie Waldo notched 42 assists in the win.

Thursday’s win marked the fourth straight for the Golden Eagles, who are now 11-3 on the season. Central will take a break before heading to the Scheels Tournament in Fargo, N.D. next weekend.

Serving: Aberdeen Central 98-108 8 aces (Madison Miller 31-33 4 aces, Grace Kuch 14-15 3 aces).

Hitting: Aberdeen Central 116-140 53 kills (Kuch 39-46 20 kills, Lauryn Burckhard 33-43 16 kills).

Setting: Aberdeen Central 139-139 48 assists (Ayrlie Waldso 111-111 42 assists).

Digs: Aberdeen Central 53 (Kuch 18, Miller 11, Sawyer Bahr 11).

Blocks: Aberdeen Central 8 solo, 8 assists (Taryn Nieman 3 solo 2 assists, Ashley Wangler 2 solo 2 assists).