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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

CHELSEA – The Oak Mountain Eagles were in command of the area standings entering Thursday, Sept. 21’s road match with the Chelsea Hornets, and they looked to improve on their 4-0 area record this season.

On the other hand, the Hornets hoped to halt the Eagles’ momentum and regain ground within the standings ahead of the area tournament in October.

In the end, it was Oak Mountain that emerged victorious, taking the match in straight sets, 3-0, to go to 5-0 in area play.

With the win, Oak Mountain is just one win away from a perfect 6-0 record in area play and clinching the honor of hosting the area tournament.

The lone opponent standing in Oak Mountain’s way is Spain Park on, which the Eagles will face on Thursday, Sept. 28 in a rematch of their five-set thriller on Sept. 14.

Oak Mountain opened up the match well in the first set, as the Eagles had a solid lead down the stretch of the opening frame.

The Eagles went on to win the first set, 25-18, to take a 1-0 lead in the match and establish control early on.

The second set was similarly close like the first set, but Oak Mountain had the advantage in the end and took a commanding 2-0 lead.

Oak Mountain’s 25-19 win in the second set put the Eagles in the driver’s seat, forcing Chelsea to have to win the next three sets if the Hornets wanted to beat their rivals.

That never came to fruition, as even though Chelsea and Oak Mountain played their closest set of the match, the Hornets were unable to overcome the Eagles’ lead.

Oak Mountain took the third set, 25-20, which gave the Eagles the straight-set sweep to remain undefeated in area play.

Mabrey Whitehead led the Eagles offense with 11 kills while also hitting for +.261 and securing two blocks. Lauren Schuessler also had a great all-around day, earning nine kills, two aces,  seven assists and 13 digs while hitting for +.241 and earning a 2.0 serve receive rating.

Ahead of their final area matchup against Spain Park, Oak Mountain will face Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook on the road. The Eagles will face the Rebels on Monday, Sept. 25 and the Spartans on Tuesday, Sept. 26 in a pair of Birmingham-region matchups.