Fulton got to tangle with some elite competition Saturday in Eldon.
The Lady Hornets competed in their second volleyball tournament of the season, with the first happening Oct. 2 in Archie, and won one of three games in pool play but were knocked out in the first round of bracket play by Capital City.
First up for Fulton was annual 20-win team, including this season's 22-2-3 record, Strafford. The Lady Hornets lost in two sets (13-25, 13-25) before the Lady Indians ran the table to win the tournament.
Fulton lost both sets by the same score (14-25, 14-25) to its next opponent in Eldon (17-6), who is the reigning Class 3 District 9 champion.
The Lady Hornets then matched up with Montgomery County (8-8-2) and were able to hang with the Lady Wildcats. Fulton took the first set 25-16 and then won a contested second set 28-26 to earn the sweep.
After pool play concluded, Fulton was paired with Capital City (6-12-3) but was swept to end its day. Head coach Nicole Murphy said she has seen some growth from the Lady Hornets since their last tournament in Archie, where they were swept in all three two-set matches they played.
Fulton (7-12, 4-2 NCMC) will have another shot at 6:30 p.m. today against a tough opponent in its conference when the Lady Hornets travel to Kirksville (15-7-2, 5-1 NCMC) to make up a match they couldn't initially play on Sept. 14 because of COVID-19 quarantine.