photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury celebrates after scoring a point against Veritas Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS. Seabury defeated Veritas through two sets.

The Bishop Seabury and Veritas Christian volleyball programs were always going to come out swinging in Tuesday night’s crosstown rivalry match, but the Seahawks dealt the heavier blow to sweep the Eagles in two sets (25-18, 25-13) and improve to 6-3 on the season.

At odds with Veritas (2-2) a few minutes into the first match, Seabury eventually found its groove and earned a 10-4 lead. Watching their team’s lead dip to 5 points, Seabury senior Vivian Hill and sophomore Xeva Oldridge stepped up late in the first set to hold the Eagles back.

Oldridge’s big performance paved the way for the Seahawks. She finished the night with seven kills, 17 serving aces and three digs. Hill also played a substantial role in Tuesday’s win, leading Seabury with six digs, tallying 14 serving aces and chipping in four kills along the way.

“Being able to connect with (Oldrige) and being able to get up there and swing, I know we had a good pass game, but being able to just get up there and swing was great,” Hill said after the win.

In the second set, Seabury didn’t seem to miss a beat. After Veritas’ deficit climbed to 21-7 in the decisive round, the Eagles stalled the Seahawks enough to rattle off six unanswered points to pull within 8 of their opponent, thanks in part to strong serving by senior Addie Brownlee.

Veritas head coach Tyler Clements said the late rally meant everything to the bench.

“That’s what I love about our team,” Clements said. “They will continue fighting. They will continuing encouraging each other… if we just cleaned up some stuff, we could really be in this. We always want to win this one.”

Pushing past the late Veritas push, Seabury cleared the second set and secured road-win bragging rights.

The heated emotions and long rallies were familiar to Clements and Seabury head coach Brian Rios. The pair put their squads to the test in the summertime, and they often see the same names jump off their rosters and onto club teams when the high school season ends.

“It’s a great in-town rivalry,” Rios said. “It’s really fun when we pack both gyms… (Veritas) is a strong team and they’ll come back even stronger when we play them at Seabury in a couple of weeks.”

Next up, Seabury prepares for a test at defending 3A state champion Olathe-Heritage Christian on Thursday; Veritas travels to Paola on Thursday.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury head coach Brian Rios (left) shares a chat with Veritas Christian head coach Tyler Clements (right) after the Sehawks defeated the Eagles 2-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury celebrates after defeating Veritas in two sets on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian gathers in a huddle during a timeout against Bishop Seabury on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian’s Nyah Everhart awaits the ball against Bishop Seabury on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS. Seabury defeated Veritas through two sets.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury’s Bella Ogborn (9) looks to deflect a shot against Veritas on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian’s Charlotte Clements (24) and Kyla Blatchford (2) block a shot from Bishop Seabury’s Camille Farha (11) during a 2-0 loss to the Seahawks on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury head coach Brian Rios talks with Bella Ogborn during a timeout during a match at Veritas Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian celebrates after scoring a point against Bishop Seabury on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS. Veritas fell to Seabury in two sets.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian’s Devina Brookens is jubilant after scoring a point against Bishop Seabury on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS. Veritas fell to Seabury in two sets.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian’s Kyla Blatchford keeps the ball afloat during a 2-0 loss to Bishop Seabury on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023 at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury celebrates after scoring a point against Veritas Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS. Seabury defeated Veritas through two sets.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian’s Charlotte Clements is jubilant after scoring a point against Bishop Seabury on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian takes the court after introductions against Bishop Seabury on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian’s Hope Stelk greets a fan before Tuesday’s match against Bishop Seabury on Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Veritas Christian’s Clara Houk greets the Eagles’ starting roster during introductions before a match with Bishop Seabury on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury takes the court after introductions against Veritas Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury celebrates after scoring a point versus Veritas Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury head coach Brian Rios talks with his team during a timeout against Veritas Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, at VCS.