TUPPERS PLAINS, Ohio —A cross-county volleyball match for a cause.

The Eastern Lady Eagles hosted Meigs on Monday evening in the annual Volley for the Cure match.

Prior to the varsity contest, a moment of silence was held to honor those who have battled or are battling cancer. Members of the Eastern volleyball team then presented pink and white carnations to all cancer survivors and cancer patients in attendance.

Once the match started, it was the Lady Marauders who appeared to control of the opening set. After falling behind 9-6, the Lady Marauders scored seven straight points to take the 13-9 lead. Eastern tied the match again at 14, but a six point run for Meigs gave them the lead for good. The Lady Marauders won the first set 25-23.

After a rough start to the second set, the Lady Eagles used runs of eight points and five points to stretch out the 25-12 win. The Lady Eagles trailed early in the third set as well, falling behind 7-4. After a brief tie at 18, the Lady Eagles scored four straight points to take the lead for good. Eastern won the third set 25-21.

Meigs scored on its first serve in the fourth set, before Eastern’s 12 point run gave the Lady Eagles a double digit advantage. The Lady Marauders would by no closer than seven points in the remainder of the set. Eastern won the fourth and final set 25-13.

Ally Hendrix led the Lady Eagles with 16 points in the match, followed by Brenna Holter with 14 points, Jordan Parker with 12 points, Baylee Collins with 10 points, Jamie Swatzel with four points and Brooke Johnson with three points.

Tori Wolfe led the Lady Marauders with 13 points, followed by Tanisha McKinney and Alison Brown with six points each, Emalee Glass with five points, Cheyenne Beaver with three points and one point each from Mercadies George and Chandra Mattox.

Maddie Rigsby and Jamie Swatzel led the net attack for Eastern. Rigsby had 15 kills and 10 blocks, while Swatzel had 18 kills and seven blocks. Holter had 10 kills and one block for Eastern, Parker added five kills and two blocks, Hendrix had four kills, Erin Swatzel added two kills and two blocks and Kelsey Myers had two kills.

George led Meigs with 12 kills, Brown added nine kills, Emily Kinnan had six kills, Marlee Hoffman had three kills, Olivia Cremeans had two kills and Brook Andrus had two kills. Kinnan had three blocks in the match, while George, Hoffman and Andrus had one each.

Glass had 30 assists to pace the Lady Marauders, while Hendrix had 71 good sets for Eastern.

The Lady Marauders won the JV match by scores of 25-20, 24-26, and 25-15.

Volley for the Cure™ was started by two friends in 2006 to bring awareness to breast cancer. A Volley for the Cure™ match is a regular season high school volleyball match that is designated as an awareness and fundraising match. The goal is to pack the stands with Pink! Players, coaches, parents and schools are encouraged to get involved!

The Volley for the Cure™ program continues to grow. Matches are held in all corners of Ohio, and the idea is being replicated across the nation. To date, over 26,800 Ohio volleyball players have participated in Volley for the Cure™, donating over $1 million to local Susan G. Komen for the Cure® affiliates in the fight against breast cancer. As participation in the Volley for the Cure™ events increases, so does awareness of this terrible disease and the importance of education for all women and girls.

Both the Lady Marauders and Lady Eagles will return to action on Thursday, with Eastern hosting Miller and Meigs hosting Athens. Both matches will begin at 6 p.m. and are league contests.