The Pike Liberal Arts volleyball team opened its home schedule Tuesday afternoon against Macon East.

However, it was not exactly the kind of start the Patriots had in mind, as the Knights came away with a victory in three-straight games, 25-15, 25-19 and 25-20.

“That’s a very strong team,” head coach Mendy Avant said.

“But I liked the way we battled back. We never gave up (during the match) and that is always encouraging to see.

“These girls have a long way to go, but they are making great progress,” the coach added.

Kailee Taylor led the way for the Patriots with five aces and two kills, while Madison Sanders and Josie Free finished with six kills and six aces respectively.

“We are playing well,” the coach said. “But we still need to work on our rotation and our communication with one another.”

After dropping the first two games, PLAS fell behind early in the third game, trailing 13-3 at one point thanks to seven consecutive Macon-East points.

PLAS was able to fight back, eventually cutting the lead to just four points.

But in the end, the Knights were able to hold the home team off, and in the process capturing the victory.

“Playing a good team like (Macon-East) early on in the season is good for us,” Avant said.

“I thought the girls played very well, despite the loss. A win is what we are going after to we are playing hard right now and that is always great to see.

“This team is coming together,” she added.

In the earlier match, the JV squad was able to come out on top over Macon-East, winning 25-10 and 25-23.

Like she did in the varsity match, Taylor played a big part in leading the way for the Patriots.

She finished the JV match with six aces and four kills, while Carley Barron finished with three aces and Mckenzi Johnson finished two kills against the Knights.

The teams will be back in action on Thursday, as it heads up to Montgomery to take on Evangel Christian Academy.

The games will begin at 4:30 p.m.