The NRHEG volleyball team picked up its first win of the season Monday night when it edged out Fairmont in a three-set thriller.

The Panthers dropped the first and fourth set, but won the second and third. In the fifth and final set they dominated the Cardinals to come out on top, 3-2.

The first set of the match was a two-point nail biter that saw Fairmont pull ahead and take a one-set lead, 25-23. NRHEG stormed back with a big second set, making easy work of Fairmont, 25-14, to even the sets at one apiece.

It was the same result in the third set, when the Panthers again cruised to a wide victory by 25-14 and set themselves up to win the match in the next set. The Cardinals would not lay down easily, however, as they made it a game once again by winning another close battle, 25-22.

With both teams at two sets each, the match came down to the shortened fifth set. NRHEG wasted no time in disposing of Fairmont by winning the final set 15-7.

“I am very proud of the girls tonight, they never once got down and they fought for every single point,” said head coach Onika Peterson. “It is great to get our first win under our belt. We are going to be able to have a couple practices to regroup before we host WEM on Thursday.”

Leading the Panthers in kills was sophomore Sophie Stork with 11. Juniors Anna Jacobson and Kendall Johnson each had five kills. Stork also led the team with nine digs, while junior Cambria Nelson was close behind with eight. Junior Grace Tufte finished with 24 assists.

The Panthers move to 1-3 overall on the season and remain at 0-1 in the Gopher Conference. They will be back on the court Thursday when they host the Buccaneers of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown.