The Siuslaw Vikings volleyball team slowed their game down a bit for their home opener Tuesday, and showed they're learning fast.

Perhaps none faster than freshman Mia Collins, who had a game-high 9 kills to help the Vikings beat the visiting Elmira Falcons, 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-19, 25-15).

Siuslaw (2-1) next hosts Pleasant Hill at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Glenn Butler Court.

"The players were really excited about being home," Siuslaw coach Jon Hornung said. "Our passing was solid, our free-ball passing was great.

"Our defense was a lot better. We covered hits a lot better than we did Thursday, and that was big."

The Vikings opened their season — Hornung's first as head coach — with a split decision Thursday at Philomath, losing to the host Warriors 3-1, then bouncing back to beat Junction City, 3-1.

Hornung wrote off the loss to first-game jitters, and a suspect passing game.

"We worked all practice Monday on passing," he said. "They really stepped up. The first-game jitters wore off a bit. That helps, and kind of brought them up."

Tuesday the Vikings were digging more balls, and running their offense much better.

Mia Collins, the only freshman on the Vikings' 12-player roster, especially elevated her game.

"I feel like I'm getting better every time that I play," she said. "I was nervous, at the start, but I'm getting used to the girls, and my swing is getting better, and everything."

Hornung concurred.

"She's grown so much, just in the last couple of weeks," he said. "She's starting to get that presence. She had a couple of huge hits."

Mia wasn't alone. Seniors Brittany Long and Elyssa Rose and sophomore Makenzie York had 7 kills each, and Mia's older sister, Emma, had 5.

Long and her sister, Jordan, a sophomore, had 2 aces each to lead the Vikings.

The Vikings needed the strong front-line play to counter the scrappy Falcons.

"Elmira got a lot of stuff up, and we were just plugging along," Hornung said. "It was cool to see that even if we were hitting, and they were digging, that we didn't give up on plays."

The Falcons repeatedly returned powerful swings by the Vikings.

"One play, Makenzie had like three big hits, and they dug all of them," Hornung said. "As a hitter, it's frustrating. The next time you want to hit it harder, and the next time harder yet. Then you mess up."

Elmira coach Barbara Casarez, who has returned to the Falcons after two years off, lauded her team's play against the taller Vikings.

"I'm proud of them tonight. They're positive kids," Casarez said. "If anything, they're really good on defense."

Elmira fell to 0-3 on the season, all three losses to Far West League schools, including 3-1 to Douglas to open the season and 3-0 to North Bend.

"(The Vikings) are about matched with the others," she said, comparing the three teams. "They're all pretty even. Siuslaw's pretty good at running their plays."

Tuesday's offense was a bit more deliberate than opening night last Thursday.

"We slowed it down a little bit, from the first night," Hornung said. "The quick sets will come when we have good passes."

And that he expects that to happen soon. All of his players are fast learners.

NOTES

Siuslaw announced an eight-player starting lineup Tuesday, two more than you're allowed to put on the court. "Mike Rose told me to circle your starters (on the lineup sheet), so I circled eight," Hornung said, chuckling. "We play eight at home, right?" ...

Hornung mixed and matched his lineup all night, with 11 of the 12 players starting at least one game. The only player who didn't start a game? Mia Collins, who got into the action early and often. "This match I particularly tried to get everyone in. Everyone's been working really well in practice, working really hard. Everyone got to go in, which I was happy about." ...

Siuslaw won the junior varsity match, 3-1. JV games are now best-of-five, instead of best-of-three, and it will make for some late nights. Tuesday's varsity match started nearly an hour later than its scheduled 6:30 p.m. first serve, and finished about 9:10 p.m. ...

Siuslaw moved up to No. 23 in the Oregon School Activities Association rankings, from No. 25. ... Elmira, which has lost its past 29 matches, moved from last-place No. 40 to No. 39, replaced at the bottom by Yamhill-Carlton. ...

Senior Ashton Webber (No. 12) led the Falcons with 7 kills against the Vikings. ...