JONESBORO — Two games into Monday's match with Jonesboro, the Nettleton Lady Raiders looked like they were headed another disappointing defeat. After a poor showing against Westside in the season opener and a heart-wrenching five-set defeat to Paragould, it would have been natural for the Lady Raiders to start allowing doubt to creep in. Instead Nettleton fended off a Jonesboro rally in Game 3 and then held off every remaining challenge to win 22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-12. Suddenly a potentially disappointing refrain to the previous losses turned into a victory to be proud of. "I think it was just a matter of believing we could do it," said Nettleton coach Vickie Davis. "Just getting over that feeling of, 'Oh my gosh, what do we do, we're down.'" After a very slow start, Nettleton's rally from two games down was predicated on improved net play when it mattered most. With Game 4 tied at 18-18, Nettleton received three big blocks from a combination of Alden Weeks and Kennedy Sellers to help close out the game. Nettleton also managed three more blocks in the fifth and decisive game. "We had to be aggressive and just stop going to spots," Davis said. "I felt like in Game 1 and 2, we were blocking spots but we weren't blocking players. I felt like in (the other) games we did a better job of going and finding where the players were. It finally started to gel a little bit." Weeks had a tremendous impact late in the match. She finished with four blocks but also got involved on the offense. She finished the match off with successive kills - her 22nd and 23rd of the match. With the match in doubt, Weeks produced 10 kills and three blocks in the final two games alone. "She was huge down the stretch," Davis said. "I just think her intensity and enthusiasm and experience more than anything probably pushed us through that." Meanwhile Jonesboro (4-1) was left to ponder a lost opportunity. The Hurricane came from behind in each of the first two games to pull them out. The scenario seemed possible — even likely — to repeat itself when Jonesboro roared back from a 21-17 deficit in Game 3 to close within 22-21, but this time Nettleton didn't collapse. The errors that plagued them during pressurized moments in Games 1 and 2 became kills from Kortney Goff and Sellers late in Game 3. Then on game point, it was Jonesboro which unleashed a hitting error and Nettleton had its foothold. Jonesboro coach Craig Cummings lamented the near-miss in Game 3. "You can see they're a very good team," Cummings said. "For us I'm disappointed we lost because to me, we had our chances to win this match in three… We eased up and didn't finish. "Nettleton forced us to focus longer and we really hadn't had to do that. For us to have a match like this is great. It helps us because we have to sustain and focus our intensity for the long haul because that's going to come in handy." Caroline Moye finished with 22 kills to lead Jonesboro, which included nine in Game 1. Frances Fitts came on late in the match to finish with 17 kills but it wasn't enough for the Lady Hurricane. Fitts also had a game-high 41 digs, while Moye managed six aces and 27 digs. Nettleton's high-power attack received a lift from senior Morgan McCall, who racked up 23 kills. She had more than 20 kills in three of the Lady Raiders' four matches so far this season and is averaging 21.8 per game. McCall added 13 digs, while Sellers finished with 10 kills and a team-high 17 digs. Gabby Sherman (13 digs) and Jenna Hodges (12) also aided the defensive effort. bcowens@jonesborosun.com