By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Elise Michel wasn’t about to let Reserve Christian’s first victory of the volleyball season elude her team for even one more play.

At match point for the Eagles, the senior’s lunging dig popped a ball over the net that had looked destined to be a Lutheran score. When the ball fell to the middle of the floor, RCS had notched a 25-21, 25-21, 13-25, 25-18 win at home on Thursday,  its first of the season.

“I’m just really excited,” Michel said. “We’ve been working really hard, and it feels great to win.”

Michel and teammate Courtney Randle each made tough plays to keep the ball alive on the final point – plays that Reserve may have been hard pressed to make a year ago.

“The girls were so laid back last year, so used to defeat,” said Reserve Coach Michelle McGee. “They couldn’t taste victory.

“Now, they want it so bad that they’ll throw themselves around out there to get it.”

Lacie Felder led Reserve (1-5, 1-2) with four kills. Randle added two of her own.  Felder and Amanda Watson each had two aces, and Tiffani Serven logged two assists.

The win came at a key time for Reserve, which needed a district win after a loss to Northlake Christian Tuesday and a tough five game loss to First Baptist Slidell in the season opener.

McGee said that eliminating unforced errors that plagued the team in those games was a major emphasis entering the game.

“Instead of trying to recover from some silly mistakes, we wanted to just eliminate them in the first place,” McGee said. “We had so many shanks against Northlake Christian. I just told the team to take a deep breath, and concentrate on what you’re doing.

“I’m very proud of them, though. We moved the ball. They communicated. Their hard work is showing.”

Michel agrees.

“We’ve bonded so much as a team,” she said. “It starts at practice, and we’ve worked very hard.”

Defending district champion Northlake Christian won in three games at their home gym on Tuesday over the Eagles, taking a 25-7, 25-7, and 25-3 victory.

McGee says that the Lady Wolverines, the defending Division V state champions, are something of a template for what she hopes to see RCS one day accomplish.

“My hat’s off to those coaches,” McGee said. “I just hope to learn from them, and to emulate their coaching style as much as I can.. There’s still a lot to learn.”