LUMBERTON — While the Lumberton volleyball team never faced a significant deficit at any point in its match against Purnell Swett, the Pirates nonetheless came from behind twice Tuesday.

Those two set wins were the second and third steps in a sweep of the Rams on the Pirates’ home floor.

“I think it was more of — it’s a rivalry, we can’t lose,” Lumberton coach Kali Carter said. “We’ve had them under for a few years, we haven’t lost to them, so I think we’re just keeping that standard up.”

Lumberton (6-3, 2-3 United-8 Conference) won its 10th straight match against Purnell Swett (5-7, 1-4 United-8), a streak dating back to 2018.

The Rams held an 11-8 lead in the second set before the Pirates finished the set on a 17-5 run to win 25-16. This included a seven-point run during the serve of Alona Hanna that began when the Pirates’ lead was 18-16.

“At first, we started off down, but when we started getting our runs and we were getting points and scoring, and we get in our groove, that’s when we start working as a team and everything comes together,” Hanna said. “And when we hold someone down, they don’t come back up.”

In a back-and-forth third set, Purnell Swett took a 5-1 lead, Lumberton came back to take a 14-11 lead and the Rams retook the lead at 20-17; Lumberton then the next five points, during Leira Smith’s serve, to take a 22-20 lead. Purnell Swett tied the set at 22-22 and 24-24, but the Pirates scored the last two points to win 26-24 and clinch the match.

“I told them it’s a fight or flight (situation), whether you fight or you fly away from adversity,” Purnell Swett coach Corey Deese said. “The third set, I thought they actually fought and competed, and it went down to the wire, compared to the first and second (set) when they just gave up. They didn’t talk, they didn’t communicate; a lot of things we’ll work on in practice tomorrow to get ready for Thursday.”

“It took a lot of encouragement and learning the court from newer players, because I tried to filter in as much as I could of that bench in the third set as I could,” Carter said. “I told them they knew what to expect; if you’re on the bench you should be able to walk in and play away, so it’s more building up the confidence, communicating with each other and learning how to adjust on the court.”

Lumberton dominated the first set, taking a quick 11-4 lead and never allowing Purnell Swett closer than a six-point margin the rest of the way in a 25-13 set win.

Hanna and Smith owned the night for Lumberton; Hanna had 10 kills, 23 digs and two aces, and Smith had four kills, 15 digs, 21 assists and two aces.

“(Hanna) has always been loud; she’s made herself known and she’s always there, and I’m happy about that,” Carter said. “But Leira is starting to fill those shoes as a sophomore. She was a quiet freshman, but now you see her talking more, stepping up more, cheering her teammates on. She really helps pull us out of holes when we get down. She’s really grown up into that position.”

“It feels good, from not playing back row until my junior year because I was never told I’d be a back row player, and now I’m on the back row getting digs, it feels good because I never thought I’d be able to do that,” Hanna said.

Ava Hanna had eight kills and three digs and Kaylee Lancaster had 18 digs and three aces for the Pirates.

Anileigh Locklear had four kills and 21 digs for Purnell Swett, Anyssia Mains had four kills and three blocks, Adisyn Bland had three kills and Emily Cummings had 33 digs.

Tuesday’s match was originally scheduled to be the end of the first cycle through conference play for each team, but both teams have two postponed games to be made up. Nonetheless, Carter likes the Pirates’ progress nearing the halfway point of league action, with the team set to face St. Pauls in nonconference play Wednesday before hosting Cape Fear Thursday.

“I really think this season they have more confidence in each other, they’re playing stronger as a team and they have that chemistry built up that we’ve been looking for for the last year or two,” Carter said. “They’ve finally found the spark. Next week, we’re really going to get more into conference play, the roundabout, we still haven’t played Jack Britt, but I feel like we can get a higher ranking than we’ve had the last year or two.”

Purnell Swett, in the midst of a stretch of four consecutive away matches, plays Thursday at Gray’s Creek.

“Hopefully we pull away from (the two makeups) with at least one more win,” Deese said. “And then going into the second set, seeing everybody, knowing what to expect, we can prepare a little bit better during practice and get ready for those.”