After dropping the first set to visiting Geneseo by 14 points, Sterling could have packed it in against one of the leading teams in the Western Big 6 Conference.

Instead, the Golden Warriors showed what they are capable of as a team.

Sterling took the Maple Leafs right down to the wire before ultimately falling 25-11, 17-25, 27-25 in a thriller at Musgrove Field House.

After a pedestrian first set, Sterling (7-11, 1-7 Big 6) opened the second set with a 6-0 lead and never trailed.

“We’ve been off to kind of a rough start this season,” Mya Lira said, “so to have that momentum and energy and just the electricity in that game, you know, it was really good for us as a team and individuals.”

Lira had 18 of the team’s 32 digs.

“I think this is probably the best game that we’ve had all season,” she said. “There’s just a lot of fight from everyone on the team, so I think that was really good.”

Nia Harris had eight kills, Megan Stutzke had five, and Kasey Weeks had four kills and four blocks. Alasia Harris-Rascon added four kills between the first and third sets after missing time with an injury. Sydney Giffin led Sterling with 18 assists.

Geneseo (11-4, 7-1) led the third set 8-2 before the Golden Warriors continued to battle back. It was 11-11, and each team traded runs until Geneseo took a 23-20 lead. Sterling then scored three straight points to make it 25-all before the Leafs escaped with the win.

“The first set was kind of a wakeup call, like if we want to win, we have to pick it up,” Weeks said. “I think we usually depend on individuals in the game, and I think tonight we really came out and played as a team.

“We can’t be mad about a loss, because they’re a great team.”

Geneseo is second only to Quincy (15-1, 7-0) in the Big 6 standings.

Elli Barickman led Geneseo with 15 kills. Lizzie Rapps (eight digs) had 11. Katherine Barickman had 26 assists.

Geneseo coach Carlyn McAvoy said the Leafs made a lot of unforced errors after the first set. They were also without starting outside hitter Megan Hursman, who was home sick.

“We had to maneuver our lineup around and have different people playing different serve-receive,” McAvoy said. “We were kind of playing a little bit out of sorts, but they’re a very good team.

“And that No. 1 [Harris], we just kind of wanted to rotate her through the front row as fast as possible, because she’s an excellent player.”

McAvoy said Sterling’s home crowd also provided an advantage. Sterling’s sideline got increasingly louder as it pushed the third set to 25.

“Sterling’s got a loud crowd, a passionate fanbase,” she said. “And you can feel it when you’re playing.”

Sterling coach Dale Dykeman said his team has showed a lot of resiliency after dealing with injuries and not playing as a team.

“We kind of came together and had some discussions about what we want to be, and what it’s going to take to be that,” he said. “And to the girls’ credit, they went out and they lived that today.”

It took a team effort.

“We really focused on doing your job, whatever that is,” Dykeman said. “All 16 of them have a job, whether it’s on the bench or on the floor.”

The Golden Warriors showed what they can do when they play as a team.

“In practice, we’ve been talking about proving it,” Lira said. “That’s kind of been our motto going into this game, and I think we definitely did prove a point.”

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Sterling’s Nia Harris (right) and Alasia Harris Rascon come together on a play against Geneseo Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Alex T. Paschal)