Aberdeen Central began the match with a service ace.

It was all Golden Eagles from there.

Central never appeared out of control of the match on its way to a 25-11, 25-18, 25-16 sweep of Pierre Saturday afternoon in Eastern South Dakota Conference volleyball action at Golden Eagles Arena.

From the start, as evidenced by the opening ace from Kennedy Osborne, Central wanted to be aggressive, both from the line and at the net. The result was a balanced attack that saw just five hitting errors from the Golden Eagles.

“We just swung, and it was open a lot,” said Central setter Alivia Miller, who doled out 27 assists in the win. “They couldn’t set their block the best.”

Miller said she keyed on that Governor block to determine where to send the ball next.

“I would notice their block and where they’re setting it,” she said, “so that determined where I would place the ball for my hitters so they could just hit it and succeed.”

Kenadi Withers was the recipient of 10 of those Miller assists, the only player to reach double-digit kills for the Golden Eagles. Lauryn Burckhard chimed in with seven and Amelia Rife with 6.

“We have to get all of our hitters involved, and we were in a position (Saturday) where Alivia could set pretty much anyone she wanted to,” said Central coach Jackie Bindenagel. “That helps everyone get going. It opens up a lot when you have three hitters running routes.”

Central’s aggressiveness extended to the service line, where Burckhard, Abigail DeVries and Taylin Kleffman each recorded a pair of aces.

“That was one of the goals going in was to keep them out of system and get those free balls,” Bindenagel said. “I was pleased with our serving.”

While seemingly never out of control of any situation, the Golden Eagles did need to push back against a handful of Pierre advances, particularly in the second and third sets. Central used an 8-3 run midway through the second to gain traction, and scored four of the final five points of the third set to close out the match.

“We have to take confidence from all the wins we get,” Bindenagel said. “We have three tough match-ups ahead. Hopefully take a good tone into postseason play.”

Central, 12-5 on the season, will face fifth-ranked Watertown on the road Tuesday before heading to a 16-9 Sioux Falls Roosevelt team the following Tuesday. The Golden Eagles will host No. 2 Sioux Falls Jefferson on Nov. 7 to close out the regular season.

“We need to keep bringing energy and just keep being aggressive and attacking,” Miller said.

Serving: Aberdeen Central 64-74 6 aces (Lauryn Burckhard 11-13 2 aces, Abigail DeVries 11-13 2 aces, Taylin Kleffman 10-11 2 aces).

Hitting: Aberdeen Central 60-74 32 kills (Kenadi Withers 17-18 10 kills, Burckhard 20-21 7 kills, Amelia Rife 8-9 6 kills).

Setting: Aberdeen Central 63-63 28 assists (Alivia Miller 62-62 27 assists).

Digs: Aberdeen Central 33 (Kleffman 13, Withers 8).

Blocks: Aberdeen Central 3 solo 4 assists (Rife 2 assists, Burckhard 1 assists, 1 solo).

Records: Pierre 6-12; Aberdeen Central 12-5.