The Liberty Christian volleyball team is itching to get back on the court for a rematch against Eagle Ridge Christian in the first round of the MAC Conference Tournament on Oct. 10. The game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson School. 

The sixth-seeded Eagles are looking for redemption after narrowly falling to No. 3 Eagle Ridge earlier this season in a five-set match. Since that loss, coach Dakota Ball has seen significant growth in his young team. 

“This will be our second time facing them and it'll be on a neutral court which always helps,” coach Dakota Ball said. “I have a bunch of 10th, 11th graders that had never started before and played in those high pressure games (before the season started), so I’m excited to see the growth.” 

The Eagles enter the tournament with a 5-9 overall record and a 4-5 mark in conference play. 

Ball said his team made some improvements since the two teams last met. 

“Everyone’s established their roles and they feel more comfortable out there on the court, and we’ll see the leadership of Trina (Scheltens) take full effect,” Ball said. 

Ball added his team played without a libero during its first matchup with Eagle Ridge. The team also runs a more dynamic offense. 

“We’ve had Bailey (Minderman) step up and she’s taken over the libero position these past few games and we’ve made a few adjustments across our front row,” Ball said. “The last time we played them, it was a really, really close game, so even being the sixth seed, we’re going into the tournament with some high hopes considering how close in skill the top six teams are.” 

Marielle Moss leads the team with 76 served aces, while Caroline Keller has 89 kills. Trina Scheltens leads with 152 assists and 57 digs, while Emma Woodson has had 50 digs this season. 

“The last few weeks, we’ve been playing very clean, crisp volleyball. They’re starting to gel, learn these new roles and adjust to them,” Ball said. 

As the Eagles prepare for the tournament, Ball has been mentally prepping his team. 

“We’re really just trying to instill confidence in these girls because they’re younger so they can go out and compete with these teams that have multiple seniors,” Ball said. “If we can make a good run, it’ll be a success for this team and a huge confidence boost going into our state tournament.” 

Ball emphasized the importance of the first two games of the tournament. 

“The first two games are going to decide the tournament for them. If they can pull off this win on Friday, it’s going to be a huge boost for them,” Ball said. “They’re definitely not going to be easy games, but they’re winnable games.”