NIXA — The Nixa Lady Eagles volleyball team (18-4) wanted to make an early, sustainable statement this season.

Well — those Eagles rattled off 10 consecutive wins to kick-start the 2019 campaign, and have added eight more wins since — so, statement made.

Nixa soared to the home win Tuesday — a straight-set victory, 26-24, 25-20 — against Central Ozark Conference foe Branson (25-4), pushing the Eagles to an 18-4 record.

While 18 wins is impressive, so are the lessons learned via the losses, as they came against elite talent: Southside High School (Arkansas), Willard, Lafayette (Wildwood), and St. James Academy.

While the adage 'one game at time' is about as cliché as one can get from an athletics standpoint, it time-tested tradition rings true for the Eagles.

Senior catalyst Lexie Gregory said the early lead was pivotal.

"I think it was just working together as a team. And no matter what was happening on the court, we just kept going with everything, continuing to keep playing those balls and wearing out the other team." Gregory said.

The night paralleled a prize fight, with both teams throwing jabs and countering with solid defense.

The Eagles' defense was responsible for delivering countless jabs to the Pirates offense which, in turn, ignited more offense and second-chance opportunities, in which Nixa took full advantage. Yet, another factor in the conference win.

"I think it definitely helped a lot, because at one point in the first set, our offense wasn't getting a whole bunch of kills. So keeping up with the defense and keeping the balls up and going, I felt it helped the offense," Gregory said of her team's balanced attack.

The Eagles kept pushing throughout the opening set, as both teams surrendered the lead at multiple junctures, and being down 20-17 and 21-18 may rattle some programs, while the outcome lies in the balance, the Eagles fly to their own tune, and Gregory's bulldog mentality lends itself as an extension of the coaching staff.

For the full game recap and photos, click here.