Cross-town rival Niles made itself at home against Brandywine in a non-conference volleyball match Monday night. The Vikings played the rude visitor in defeating the Bobcats 25-9, 25-21 and 25-17. “We can’t take any match lightly,” Niles coach Jenny Nate said. “It’s a cross-town rival. Emotions can get heated and there were a lot of fans here, so we needed to play tough but stay composed.” “We know there is a difference between our team and theirs,” Brandywine coach Carrie Bidwell said. “We have a lot of multi-sport athletes while they have a lot more that are committed truly to volleyball, but playing a team like Niles helps us to get ready for the playoffs.” Both teams came in to the matchup with goals in mind. For the Bobcats the goal was to prepare for the postseason and work on some new things offensively. “Our mind is in playoff mode and trying to get ready for the playoffs,” Bidwell said. “We are trying to run a faster offense, and if we can run a faster offense and put the ball down against a team like Niles then we are doing something right.” For the Vikings, the goals were a little more specific. “Composure and focus,” Nate said. “We’ve been working really hard for the past week trying to prepare for our big conference match on Wednesday (Portage Central) and every single time you play someone you have to have a goal, and tonight’s was composure and focus.” Moving forward both teams still have things on which to improve, but they know what those things are and what they need to do to work on them. For the Bobcats, it’s the defensive side of the ball. “We know there are areas of our defense that we need to work on,” Bidwell claimed. “So if nothing else tonight, Niles’ great hitters pointed out some holes in our defense and our blocking that we can work on.” For the Vikings it’s something they’ve been working on all year long, team toughness and sticking together. “Our ability to stick together as one tonight is something we’ve worked on all year, and it’s here now,” Nate said. “If someone makes a mistake they pull her right up. We have to play as a team. We have to stay focused. It doesn’t matter what we do it’s next ball.” Both teams will be back in action on Wednesday night. The Bobcats will host Comstock in a BCS Athletic Conference match, while the Vikings will host Portage Central in a SMAC West Division showdown that could decide the division title as the teams come into the match tied for first place.    NILES 3, BRANDYWINE 0 At Brandywine Set Scores Niles d. Brandywine 25-9, 25-21, 25-17   Niles Statistics Scoring Carly Barton 19 points, 3 aces Bella Rasler 10 points, 1 ace Kelsey Barton 5 points, 3 aces Peyton Cavanaugh 4 points, 2 aces Holly Walker 3 points, 1 ace Kills Kelsey Barton 11 Lexi Smith 9 Rasler 8 Carly Barton 4 Jazmin Brann 2 Nola Wallace 1 Digs Bre Love 11 Walker 11 Rasler 7 Kelsey Barton 4 Smith 3 Carly Barton 3 Blocks Wallace 4 Kelsey Barton 3 Smith 2 Rasler 1 Assists Carly Barton 18 Kelsey Barton 13   Brandywine Statistics Kills Olivia DePriest 7 Grace Polomcak 3 Morgan Crocker 3, Sydney Carlson 3   Assists Emily Erwin 13   Digs Mia Stella 9 Carlson 9 Polomcak 5 Makena Bowen 5   Blocks DePriest 5 Varsity record: Niles 26-6