WALNUT COVE — Mount Airy squeezed by South Stokes 3-0 in volleyball Tuesday.

While the final margin looks one-sided, the Lady Bears had to fight through nailbiters in the first two sets.

“We pulled together,” Coach Kim Lyons said of what made a difference in the match. “For the first time in a while, we pulled together and played as a team.”

The Bears edged the Sauras 25-23 and 26-24 before getting just a little breathing room in the third at 25-17.

Lyons told the team that the three keys to the match would be to play hard, play smart and play together. She said the girls did all three well in this performance.

The older players did a good job of showing leadership on this young team, Lyons said.

She especially noted the on-court leadership of Dana Brown.

Dana had several saves that kept rallies alive, the coach said. Brown finished with eight digs, nine kills, nine assists and a perfect 16-16 at the service line.

“As a team, we did better in coverage,” she said of the defense.

On offense, the Bears were aggressive and did a good job of reading the placement of the defenders before attacking.

Kathryn Beasley led the team with 12 kills, and Katie Hicks had seven. Tessa Rodgers set up the front line with 18 assists.

Hicks and Jasmine Varney led the defense with 11 blocks each.

“Once we got rolling, we did really well,” she said. The squad built confidence throughout the match, and Lyons wants that to carry over into their next matches.

The Bears host Winston-Salem Prep today. The two teams will play a double-header, then the Bears go to West Stokes Thursday.