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Even though they struggled in the first set, the Chambers Academy Rebels came out on top in Tuesday’s match, sweeping Lakeside on Tuesday.

“We had a rough start. I think it was the Labor Day Weekend that caused a slow and painful start, but they got it together by the second game,” Chambers Academy head coach Randy Bonds said.

The Rebels started off slow in the first set, dropping the first two points of the set. However, they battled back quickly, scoring five of the next six points. Once they expanded their lead to 8-5, the set became a battle, as both teams would score mainly on serving errors.

The Chiefs were the first team to reach 15 points, taking a 15-13 lead in the set. From that point, the Rebels, led by Claire Allen, went to work. They rattled off 12 of the final 14 points to take the set 25-17.

“The serving was pretty weak,” Bonds said. “I think we missed about five or six in the first game, so it was a big improvement on the second and third rounds.”

The Rebels continued their success from the end of the first set into the second. They took the first point of the game, with a Bailey Allen tap that landed between two Chiefs.

The Rebels jumped ahead 7-2, mainly by serving aces. Allen took over serving at the 10-3 mark and put on a show, finishing with five aces before giving up her serve at 16-4.

“She’s outstanding. She’s probably one of the better players in the state,” Bonds said of Allen. “She’s really good at jump serving with speed and accuracy. I can tell her where to serve on the court, and 80 or 90% of the time, she can get it there. That’s unusual. There are very few players that are able to do that.”The Rebels cruised to the end of the set, winning 25-9.

Just as they did in the first set, the Rebels came out sluggish in the third set, dropping the first two points of the set.

The Chiefs were the first team to five, taking a 5-2 lead.

Just as it did in the first, Chambers made the deficit dissipate quickly, as it scored five straight points and a couple of aces. They took an 8-6 lead before Bailey Allen went to the backline to serve, and by the time she finished, Chambers led 13-7.

The Rebels took a commanding eight-point lead by the time they reached 20 points, but the Chiefs did not go away quickly, closing the gap down the stretch.

Even with the short run, the deficit was too great for the Chiefs to overcome, giving the Rebels a 25-18 win in the third set.

BB Stephens and Claire Allen led the team in kills with four apiece. Most of the Rebels points were scored by serving, finishing with 25 aces. Bailey Allen and Claire Allen led the way finishing with 10 and eight aces respectively. Claire Allen also finished with 11 assists, while Bailey Allen led the team with seven digs.

The Rebels are back in action on Thursday when they host Coosa Valley. The JV team starts at 4 p.m. CT, followed by the varsity.