FLEMING ISLAND - Fleming Island High junior hitter Lillie Eason hammered away at the Middleburg High front line defense with 21 kills as the Golden Eagles took a dramatic 3-1 non-district win over Middleburg Tuesday night.

"This is the first time I have beaten Middleburg in my coaching career, and it was a total team effort," said Fleming Island coach Amy Yoder, whose team is now 10-2. "Lillie had 21 kills and broke the school record for kills tonight. [She] is only a junior, and Kaylee Clark had one of her best games. We made Middleburg work to try and get a defense in front of us."

For Yoder, seniors Lauren Brosky, Eason, Clark and Zahaviah Sanders all covered the nets against the Broncos' arsenal of Maysie Bader and Katelynn Laezza. Eason's six blasts in Game 1 set a tone en route to a first game win, 25-18.

Game 2 saw Clark and her acrobatic, Michael Jordan-like floating kill tactics, explode for timely points and points off blocks for a 25-16 Golden Eagles win.

"I read the eyes of the hitters and react," said Clark, who finished with five blocks on top of 10 kills. "We all play our parts."

Game 3 went to Middleburg, 25-18, with Bader, Abby Grybb and Isabella Mestas finding their mark.

The fourth game went 25-18, with Clark floating for seemingly three seconds before firing the game-winner over the net.

Fleming Island (now 10-2, ranked 55th in Florida and fifth in Class 4A) entered the game after playing one match last week - a 3-2 win over Trinity Christian Academy. Trinity (11-4) beat Middleburg 3-2 on Sept. 1.

The only other common opponent has been Ponte Vedra, with Middleburg (9-7, ranked 34th in Florida and fifth in Class 5A) winning 3-2 in dramatic fashion after being down 2-1. Fleming Island lost a 3-2 match at Ponte Vedra on Sept. 10.

Around the county, Keystone Heights, 13-7, took a dramatic 3-2 game from St. Johns Country Day School with a Monday win over Baldwin (9-1). The Indians beat Orange Park, Union County, Bishop Snyder, St. Johns Country Day School and Baldwin in a row.

Keystone Heights outside hitter Mia Rivera continued her reign as top scorer with those four games getting kill totals of 10, 17, 23 and 25. Rivera's top game was a 29-point effort in a 3-2 win over Baker County on Aug. 20. Her 307 total is tops in Florida, with Evie Meeks of Bronson chasing with 299 and Abi Chin Lee of Loxahatchee with 298.

Rivera's wingman is setter Kaleigh Marquart, who has 307 kills. She also is tops in state with 543 assists - far more than 468 from Fletcher's Juliette Watson.

Statistics around the county have senior Emma Weber leading Orange Park with 39 kills, sophomore Katelynn Laezza leading Middleburg with 111, Ridgeview junior Colette Jones with 90, Oakleaf's Karlie Gilley with 102, Clay's McKenzie Harris with 81 and Fleming Island's Lillie Eason with 190. St. Johns Country Day School's Kendall Proffitt is listed with 29 kills leading with 14 sets played.