Playing a rated team on its home floor was the challenge the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn volleyball team faced as it traveled to Orange City on Sept. 1 to take on Unity Christian.

The Knights were rated No. 4 in the initial Class 3A rankings released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. They lived up to that ranking with a convincing 3-0 win (25-10, 25-7, 25-12) over the Hawks.

It was Unity Christian’s opening match of the season while H-M-S lost its second War Eagle Conference match on consecutive nights.

The Hawks struggled to put down attacks against the Knights, recording just eig...