(Lenox) — An experienced Stanton bunch proved dominant at times in opening their season with a 25-13, 25-21, 25-19 sweep of Lenox on Tuesday night.

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The KMAland 1A/2A No. 9 Viqueens got a balanced performance from their trio of returning hitters in starting what they hope will be a long, successful season on the right note.

“We’ll take it,” Stanton Coach Jody Druivenga said. “They were a great first match for us. We played them twice last year and split with them. We knew they were going to be super scrappy, and they did not disappoint.”

While the Tigers were scrappy throughout the night, it didn’t faze a red hot Stanton in the opening set. After splitting the first 12 points, Stanton rallied off 15 of the next 20 to put the set out of commission. Senior Tara Peterson had four kills and Jenna Stephens and Marleigh Johnson had three kills each in the opener.

The second and third set proved much tighter with Lenox grabbing their only lead of the match at 21-20 in the second. The Viqueens quickly rallied off five in a row to take a commanding 2-0 lead. In the third, the teams split the first 26 points before a 12-6 run from Stanton to end the match.

“We have a lot we still need to work on, I think,” Coach Druivenga said. “We didn’t like our footwork. I don’t know if it was just first game jitters. We told them in the locker room that they move their feet better than that in practice every day. That’s something we’ll focus on tomorrow.”

Peterson ended the night with a match-high nine kills to open her senior season while Stephens had eight winners and Johnson finished with seven.

“It’s so exciting to be out here playing again,” Peterson said. “The girls and I have been working really hard in July and through all the practices. It’s just really nice to be playing.”

Stanton’s two-setter offense was led by Nicole Vorhies, who topped the team with 16 assists, while Brooklyn Silva added eight helpers of her own. For Lenox, TJ Stoaks had a team-high six kills.

While the victory had its ups and downs, Coach Druivenga believes this is a team that can play plenty deep into the postseason.

“This group of girls has a lot of great goals and lofty goals,” she said. “They’re willing to work hard enough to meet those goals, but I don’t think you can discount anybody. We have a good conference and a lot of good teams.”

Stanton will open Corner Conference play on Thursday when they welcome Fremont-Mills to town. Lenox will also be in non-conference action on Thursday against another Corner team, Griswold.

View the complete video interviews with Coach Druivenga and Peterson linked below.