The Emmaus girls volleyball team faced some adversity for the first time this season last Monday night in its home gym. The Green Hornets were undefeated and hadn't lost more than one game in a match yet this season, but Parkland came out strong and took three straight games, 25-17, 25-18, and 25-21, in a match featuring the top two teams in the state according to Max Prep.

The Trojans sent a message, but also amassed some revenge after being ousted from the district tournament a year ago in the semifinals to Emmaus.

"We talked a lot about the team, and that we need everybody to win," said Hornet head coach Gwen Millets. "You can't do it individually if you want to win. You could see we played more individually tonight. We all made mistakes, but there were also some good plays, but we have to keep it going."

It was a rowdy atmosphere, which was expected with two undefeated and top teams in the state meeting, but Parkland came out and dominated play.

"We're glad that we got to play Parkland now and not at the end of the season," said Millets. "It's good to play them early and see what they bring. They're a good team, and now we can learn from our mistakes. We're going to see them again, and be better the next time we play. There's always another day."

Last season, the Green Hornets did not have much luck during the regular season, or league playoffs, against the Trojans, but took them down when it counted in the district playoffs.

In Monday's meeting, Parkland (13-0, 6-0) came out and took it to Emmaus in game one, but the Green Hornets fired back and led for consecutive points in games two and three, but weren't able to contain the energy they fed off of from the crowd, and Parkland used its size up front to dominate the net.

Emmaus (13-1, 5-1) was also playing without two starters, setter Rebecca Houghton and outside hitter Alicia Grim, who have missed over a week due to injuries.

"We just want them to get healthier," added Millets. "We're going to take what we learned from this game and get better."

Emmaus squares off against some new conference foes in the upcoming week with matches against Pocono Mountain West, Pleasant Valley, and East Stroudsburg South, before going up against Central Catholic next Friday.