Junior libero Maci Wells sparked a huge third-set rally Thursday to lead the Siuslaw Vikings volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over Junction City in the three-school Philomath Jamboree at Philomath.

Earlier, Philomath beat Siuslaw, 3-1, in the season opener for both teams. Junction City beat Philomath in the nightcap, 3-2, as all three teams went 1-1 for the night.

The matches were the debut of first-year coach Jon Hornung, a science teacher at the high school and a former junior olympic volleyball player.

"Maci had a couple of crazy saves that catalyzed the comeback," Hornung said. "We were down 17-6 and came all the way back to win 26-24!

"The girls showed a lot of heart. It was awesome."

It was pleasant consolation after a first-match loss, which featured some early-season jitters, especially in the Vikings' passing game.

"After a rough loss, the girls definitely left with their heads up after beating Junction City," Hornung said.

The Vikings next host Elmira at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Glenn Butler Court. Also next week, Siuslaw hosts Pleasant Hill at 6 p.m. Thursday, then travels to the Canby Varsity Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 10.

Elmira is 0-2 and ranked No. 39 by the Oregon School Activities Association after opening with losses to two other Far West League schools. Elmira lost to Douglas 3-1 and to North Bend 3-0.

Siuslaw is ranked No. 27 in the way-too-early OSAA rankings. Philomath is No. 20 and Junction City No. 28.

Marshfield (3-1) is ranked No. 6, North Bend (1-1) No. 18, Brookings-Harbor (0-1) No. 30, Douglas (1-1) No. 32 and South Umpqua (1-1) No. 33.

Hidden Valley (1-0) is No. 1.

Complete rankings are online at http://www.osaa.org/activities/vbl/rankings?div=4A.