Eisenhower’s Lainey Font, left, sends a spike over the net against Moniteau on Monday night. Times Observer Photo by Steve Younger

RUSSELL — The Eisenhower volleyball team has been steadily improving as the season has gone on, and Monday night it showed as the Lady Knights swept Moniteau 25-21, 25-17 and 25-19.

Eisenhower jumped out to a 21-10 lead in the opening game before the visitors battled back to within five before the Lady Knights broke the Moniteau serve. The rest of the first game was back and forth before the hosts were able to close out the four-point win.

In the second game, Eisenhower never trailed. The third game was back and forth, but once the score hit 18-17 the Lady Knights were able to pull away behind the serves of Rhiannon Cook on the way to the 25-19 win.

Head coach Lori Pascuzzi, “We played tough defense tonight and I thought we communicated well,” Eisenhower head coach Lori Pascuzzi said. “We really had good coverage. We have been working hard on that and it really showed tonight.”

Eisenhower was led by junior Lainey Font who had nine kills, three aces and a 2.4 serve-receive ratio. Senior Caroline Smyth had another solid game with eight kills and three blocks; sophomore Alanna Byrd added six aces, two kills and one block and a 2.0 serve-receive rating.

“This was a key game for the team in terms of playoff standing,” Pascuzzi said. “They showed tonight that they are a team that can step up when needed and close out an opponent. We covered most tips and adjusted well to their hitting tendencies. Moniteau is a very solid team with several standout athletes. It has been a pleasure to compete against them this year. We split our series with them, so it has been good competition for both teams I believe.”

In junior varsity action, Moniteau defeated Eisenhower 25-18, 13-25,11-15.

The Lady Knights will be back in action tonight against Saegertown for their annual pink-out game. Junior varsity action starts at 6 p.m., with the varsity match starting immediately after.