ELMA — A week of confrontations with upper-classification foes began well for Elma’s unbeaten volleyball team.

Quin Mikel contributed nine kills, six aces and 10 digs as the Eagles completed a season sweep of Aberdeen, 25-18, 25-22, 25-13, in a non-league match Monday night at Elma.

Monday’s match was the first of three this week against Class 2A foes for the Eagles (4-0). They host Black Hills on Tuesday and visit Chehalis two nights later.

“It will be good,” Elma coach Kendra Henry said of the scheduling. “It will be exciting to see how they’ll do.”

By Henry’s admission, the Eagles were not in top form for the better part of two sets on Monday. They struggled with serving and serve-receive in particular.

“We overlooked Aberdeen a little bit,” the Elma coach acknowledged. “They played much better than the last meeting. We came out a little flat but picked it up in the third (set).”

But major serving difficulties prevented the Bobcats (0-4) from capitalizing on Elma’s slow start.

The Bobcats missed 11 serves — an identical total to that in last week’s loss to Hoquiam. Six of those came in the second set, almost certainly costing them a set in which they once led 12-8.

“Obviously, it’s hard to get into rhythm when you’re making those mistakes,” a frustrated AHS coach Doug Basler commented. “We didn’t take advantage of multiple opportunities in the first two games.”

Sophomore reserve Bailey Crisp served five straight points in the second set to put Elma on top to stay at 14-12.

Down 21-15 at one stage, Aberdeen rallied and saved two set points on kills by Hailee Baretich and Holly Bergeson. But the Eagles converted the third on Kenna Stoney’s winning tip.

Mikel opened the third set with three consecutive aces on a 6-0 run that also included a Maddi Clark kill. The Bobcats never caught up. Clark closed out the match with a five-point service spree.

A much greater threat at the net than most setters, senior floor leader Stoney frequently found the mark on tips and dumps (a play in which she fakes a set before pushing the ball into the open court). Six-foot-one sophomore Jalyn Sackrider had eight kills for the Eagles.

Basler cited the play of Malynda Winston and setter Jalyn McDaniel. The latter collected 11 assists.

Aberdeen took the JV match, 25-13, 25-19.

The Bobcats are idle for a week before opening Evergreen 2A Conference play at home against Black Hills on Sept. 26.