The Eureka girls volleyball team will be battle-tested heading into districts next week and that’s a good thing.

“I think any coach prefers to play a tough schedule and have a few losses than have it easy the whole way,” Eureka coach Becky Stevenson said. “This is the toughest schedule we’ve had. I think it’s good though. Anytime you play against competitive teams, it makes you better.”

Eureka (19-9-1 overall) started the season with consecutive losses to Washington, Marquette and Lafayette. Then the Wildcats faced some of the region’s top teams in a tournament in Fayetteville, Ark. and followed that up with tough non-conference matches against Ursuline and Incarnate Word.

The tough start left Eureka with a sub .500 mark midway through the season, but the Wildcats have found their groove by winning their last 11 matches. During the streak, Eureka won 26 games in a row and sealed the Suburban South Championship with a perfect 7-0 record in conference.

Eureka keeps its opponents off balance with a varied attack featuring three hitters - Sarah James, Torie Goode and Amanda Gendece - averaging more then two kills a game. Setter Kaitlyn Early runs the offense and Megan Farwell and Goode lead a strong defense.

Even though the start of the season was a bit harsh, it gave the Wildcats a taste of what their district will be like. Eureka is in Class 4 District 4, which includes Washington, Marquette and Lafayette. Those teams are a combined 70-11-5, including their wins over Eureka in the first week of the season.

“Obviously, we played them quite a while ago so everybody is better,” Stevenson said. “The main thing for our team is to keep our confidence up, trust each other and maintain our focus.”

Stevenson said teamwork will be a key for Eureka.

“We have to work as a unit, one team not six individuals,” Stevenson said. “Everybody has to have a killer attitude. When we’re all on, we can do amazing things.”