Geneva coach Lauren Kosecki had one goal for her team after calling her second timeout of the second set.

Don’t let the ball drop.

With the Vikings already up a set but trailing Wheaton Warrenville South 21-17 in the second, the fifth year coach told her team that the team needed to make sure that they went for every ball still in the air if they wanted to avoid a third set, something they’ve dealt with 12 times already on the season.

“If you play like that and have that good energy, good things will happen,” Kosecki said. “They’re a good team, they’ll battle back, so we had to make sure we took care of business.”

Turns out, she was right.

Using some strong defensive efforts across the board, the Vikings went on an 8-3 run to end the game to secure a straight-set (25-15, 26-24) victory over the Tigers on Monday.

“We just wanted to finish the game in two and leave it all out on the court,” junior setter Ally Stevenson said. “It was just a great defensive effort. Everyone really focused on their goals and didn’t let the ball drop.”

Leading the defensive charge during the final stretch for the Vikings (7-10 overall, 1-1 DuKane) was Stevenson, who’s also the lone returner from the team that took second in the conference a season ago. The junior had multiple key digs, including a diving one that kept play alive before the Vikings scratched across the final point on the board.

“She brings a calm as well as some experience to this team,” Kosecki said. “She finds the hitters that are hot, but she also plays awesome defense for us. She’s an athletic kid that always gets touches.”

Stevenson finished the game with 14 assists, consistently finding sophomore outside hitters Emma Peterson (eight kills) and Zori Malone (six kills) at the net.

“We’re connecting very well, especially for not playing together last season,” Stevenson said. “They adjust to sets very well and are good at playing the game when it needs to be played.”

The second set was a stark contrast to the first set for the Vikings, who started the game on a 10-3 run and only let the Tigers get close to three before going on two separate five-point streaks before closing it with a 25-15 victory.

“We just did a good job serving aggressively at the beginning,” Kosecki said. “We let our passing kind of get to us a little bit in the beginning of the second, but then we stayed consistent on defense and just slowly but surely chipped away.

The Tigers (7-7, 1-1) started the second set off better than the first, building up a 6-2 lead before the Vikings called their first timeout. The Tigers eventually lost the lead, but built it up to four once again before falling in the final points.

“The second set was kind of what I anticipated, and that’s usually what our matches are with them, where it’s back and forth and someone takes the advantage at the end,” Tigers coach Bill Schreier said. “We just didn’t take advantage of the times where we could have pushed and we let them back into it again. And when push comes to shove, we just needed to be better.”

Senior outside hitter Mackenzie Hartmen and senior opposite hitter Zoe Dragas led the team at the net with six kills apiece, while the Tigers also recorded five aces on the night, with senior setter Audrey Utz having two.

“It’s growing pains, but we’re getting to the point of the season where we need to see something a little more consistent on the court,” Schreier said. “We’ve seen flashes. When we put it together, we’re able to hang with teams. But we just need to string out those flashes a little bit more frequently.”