Lisle and Joliet Central have had two vastly different starts to the year in girls volleyball. The Lions began the year with five consecutive losses but had gone 6-5 since then entering Monday night. The Steelmen, meanwhile, started out 5-2, but had dropped three straight entering the home contest against Lisle Monday evening.

Monday, the trends continued, much to the joy of Lisle and the chagrin of Joliet Central.

Lisle started out dominating before the Steelmen cut it close in the first set. The Lions didn’t have too much trouble in the second as they got the sweep 25-22, 25-18.

“I think the big thing for us was staying disciplined,” coach Payton Litney said. “The little things and staying active are really big for us. They tipped a lot in the first set which we adjusted to. We’ve been really aggressive all season and that’s been good for us, including tonight.”

Lisle (7-10) dominated from the start, taking a 5-0 lead before the Steelmen narrowed the deficit to 10-8. The dominance returned for the Lions shortly afterward, going on an 8-1 run to double up Joliet Central, 18-9.

A timeout helped the Steelman stage an improbable comeback. An 11-2 run by Joliet Central resulted in a tie game 20-20 before each team committed serving errors, resulting in a 21-21 draw. Consecutive kills by Brooklyn Burton and Kendall Koloff gave Lisle some breathing room and after Joliet Central earned their 22nd point, they committed back-to-back errors to fall 25-22.

Set two actually started out in Joliet Central’s favor as they led 5-4 out the game. It was 9-7 when the Lions rattled off four straight courtesy of a pair of kills by Burton. It never got closer than four the rest of the way with the Lions scoring the final three points of the night to take the victory.

The Lions finished with 24 kills, nine by Burton and six by Koloff, four blocks and four aces. Joliet Central was led by Camryn Brown’s nine digs.

Lisle’s win was made even more impressive by the fact that they were missing starting setter Anna Gorzkowski. Litney praised setter Jaya Claussen for filling in admirably in her absence. That resiliency has been a key factor for the Lions all season.

“We had kind of a slow start with a lot of injuries and stuff, but we’re getting everybody back now,” Litney said. “We’re figuring out our groove. It’s been a slow burn but I’m hoping it’s going to keep burning the rest of the year.”

For Joliet Central (5-6), it was another frustrating loss after they’d shown tremendous improvement in their previous loss to Plainfield South. Coach Kevin O’Connell praised his team for fighting back in the first set and singled Brown out for praise.

Still, he couldn’t help but be frustrated by the rough start to the first set.

“Defense counts and we have to eliminate our mistakes,” he said. “I think it’s just hard to start out five to six points down and try to bring yourself back. When you start in that hole, it’s tough to come out of it. That’s especially true when the opposing team is picking up on things we’re doing wrong. I think Lisle did a good job tipping to our right side. They made adjustments and we didn’t.”

Lisle’s next game will be Streator on the road Tuesday. Joliet Central, meanwhile, will visit Minooka the same day for Minooka’s senior night.

Burton believes the Lions just need to keep doing what they’re doing to keep on winning.

“We have to continue to communicate and focus,” she said. “We’ve just got to keep getting the job done.”