LYNDON CENTER, Vt. — The Lyndon women's volleyball team opened the 2014 season with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over a determined Johnson State squad Wednesday at Stannard Gymnasium.

The Hornets jumped out to a 2-0 lead (25-20, 25-14) after two sets of play and appeared to be on the brink of a sweep. However, the pesky Badgers had other ideas, taking the third and fourth sets in dominating fashion (17-25, 16-25) to force a fifth and final set.

Lyndon (1-0) managed to break open a 9-9 ties late in the final set and walk off with a tough win over their North Atlantic Conference rival.

"After the first two sets, our passing was not as clean and we had to scramble," said Hornet Head Coach Sean Fisher. "They got a few points on blocks and from there we fell apart defensively."

Johnson middle hitter Andrea Williams led the resurgence, collecting 20 kills, two aces, 27 digs and five blocks in the contest. Teammate Sarah Voorhis chipped in five kills, two assists, one ace, four blocks and nine digs while Brianna Laughlin added five kills, 1 assist, two aces, one block and 17 digs.

With the match hanging in the balance, Lyndon managed to right the ship and regain its momentum in the final set.

"We simply got back to what was working for us in the first two sets," said Fisher. "Our hitters started swinging again instead of taking will little drop shots at the net."

Kelleigh Murtagh (Merrimack, N.H.) led a balanced Lyndon attack with 11 kills, one ace and 13 digs. Laura Drake (Hinsdale, Mass.) had seven kills, 16 assists, three aces and 10 digs in them win while Joy Piper (Belmont, N.H.) collected six kills, one assist, one ace and six digs.

Anna Bingham had nine assists to lead Johnson and Abbey Green (Exeter, R.I.) had 10 digs for the winners.

"Overall I'm happy with the way things turned out," said Fisher. "We still have a lot to clean up, but the effort is there. We've introduced a few new things this year and I think they pay off in the long run as long as we keep putting forth the effort."

Lyndon travels to Standish, Maine Friday to take part in the annual St. Joseph's College Autumn Invitational. The Hornets will battle NAC foe Husson University at 6 p.m. followed by a matchup with Bates College at 8 p.m.

Johnson State (1-2) travels to Newbury, Mass. Friday to compete in the Hildebrandt Memorial Invitational. The badgers will face Eastern Connecticut State Friday at 8 p.m.