The athletic Eureka Lady Lions volleyball team took Troy all the way to the fifth set before pulling away.

The Lady Trojans drop to 8-6 and 3-3 in conference, third behind Thompson Falls and Eureka.

The Lions were able to beat Troy 13-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-10.

Eureka was bruised in the first two sets before the deep and senior-heavy squad rallied and sent the Lady Trojans to a third conference loss. 

“Communication was our problem,” said Troy head coach Sandra Beal. “We stopped talking. We made a lot of silly mistakes and set them up too many times.”

Eureka had height on Troy, and one player in particular was dominant on the net.

Jenna Peterson, Eureka’s 6-foot 2-inch middle hitter, stopped nearly every ball that came her direction and had five blocks to show for it.

“Jenna has really improved throughout the years,” said Lady Lions head coach Shauna Baker. “When we did hitting tryouts earlier this year, her power was amazing.”

Troy passed well and had 67 digs, including 17 from starting outside hitter Kellie Lundin. She also had three blocks.

Senior middle hitter Michaela Curry had 12 kills and three aces to match Lundin’s three.

Troy will face front-runner Thompson Falls at home Thursday evening in what could be the biggest game of the season for the Lady Trojans.