Volleyball players explode in ecstasy when a seven-point hole shrinks to six, so the idea that St. Francis felt any heat in Wednesday’s see-saw match at Marian Central was tough to fathom.

A 25-20 loss in Game 1 sparked the Spartans more than it sunk them, an emerging trend in a season that moved to 7-0 after wins in Games 2 and 3 of the Suburban Christian Conference Blue opener.

“We’re one of those teams that if we lose the first game or something, we just need a kick in the butt and bring it back,” said St. Francis senior right-side hitter Grace Churney. “We’re a good team at coming back because we’re always the underdogs and coming back is one of our specialties. We practice it all the time in practice, being behind and coming back, so I think that really helps, and I think it’s the drive.