Lakota East volleyball rallied past Loveland in four sets Tuesday, Oct. 6, climbing back to .500 at 9-9 overall.

The Thunderhawks needed extra points just to survive the opener, edging Loveland 28-26 in a first set that pushed past the standard 25-point threshold. Loveland answered with a convincing 25-15 second set to level the match at one apiece.

East did not fold.

The Thunderhawks took the third set 25-23, then closed out the match 25-22 in the fourth. Three of the four sets were decided by three points or fewer, a sign of how tightly the teams were matched throughout the night.

The win also pushed East to 5-3 in the Greater Miami Conference, keeping the Thunderhawks in the conference race as the regular season winds down. The Lakota East athletics site described the result as a strong response after the team's recent loss to Mason, one of the GMC's top squads. Mason stood at 11-4 overall and 6-0 in the conference as of late September, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's scores roundup.

The turnaround has been steady. As recently as late September, East stood at 5-8 overall and 4-2 in the GMC after splitting a week that included a straight-set win over Princeton (25-23, 25-23, 25-6) and a three-set loss to Milford (25-18, 25-18, 25-22), according to the team's Sept. 28 recap. That recap noted East was "firmly in the conference race with several important matches still ahead."

Since that 5-8 mark, the Thunderhawks have gone 4-1 to reach the .500 milestone. The run included the loss to a Mason team that has dominated GMC play and the four-set comeback against Loveland.

The schedule does not let up. East travels to West Clermont on Saturday, Oct. 10, before returning home Tuesday, Oct. 13, to host Colerain on Senior Night.