Taking a 2-0 lead heading into a pivotal third set, the W.F. West volleyball team had hoped to walk out of Ron Brown Court against Centralia Tuesday in sweeping fashion, and after being in control for most of the contest to that point.
Holding a lead through most of the third set as well, the Bearcats led the Tigers crawl back into the game, and force a fifth set, but eventually hung on to defeat their rivals on the road in Centralia, 25-16, 25-20, 26-28, 19-25, 15-13.
The Tigers battled back from three match points to win the third set, 28-26, and held off a W.F. West rally to force a fifth and final set Tuesday night, looking to spring the rare reverse sweep, and forcing a variety of errors from a frustrated Bearcats side.
“This is the first time this year that we played not to lose,” Bearcats coach Robert Lucas said. “That’s uncharacteristic for us, but hats off to Centralia, they played tough and made us make mistakes.”
Heading into the fifth, and tied up at 8-8 through the first points, W.F. West finally went on their run, getting to match point once again at 14-10. The Tigers had one last rally in them, staving off two match points, but their final serve sailed into the net to give the Bearcats the 15-13 fifth set win.
“Part of the issue was we just started playing more as individuals, that fifth set was more coming together as a team and relying on each other again,” Lucas said. “That helped bring us back together after we lost our composure.”
Courtney Jones was consistent in the back row for the Bearcats, digging up 31 balls and helping keep the Bearcats together after two straight set losses in the third and fourth. Julia Dalan, Mari Ceesay, and Morgan Rogerson all logged double-digit kills, and Savannah Hawkins tallied 26 assists with Saige Brindle adding 16.
On the other side, the Tigers — after playing from behind virtually the entire night — finally hit their rhythm when they made a slight adjustment after the second set. Centralia threw in swing player and freshman McKenna Smith in the third set as part of its rotation, and the young player capitalized and provided the Tigers with a new energy, serving perfect from the floor and scrapping for points throughout the final three sets.
“She did everything that I needed her to do, she really sparked us at the net, making some great hustle plays and some big blocks,” Tigers coach Marti Smith said. “It seemed like there was an energy shift.”
With some renewed confidence and a belief that they could come back from down two sets, the Tigers took off to a big lead in the fourth set and held off a rally to defeat the Bearcats in the fourth, 25-19, and force a fifth set.
Despite being given some opportunities to take the lead and put away the Bearcats in the fifth, the Tigers couldn’t capitalize when it mattered most, and came up just short.
Lauren Wasson had 23 digs and five kills, Tatum Johnston added nine kills and four blocks, and Emily Wilkerson paired with Johnston well with five blocks and nine kills.
Senior setter Peyton Smith had 30 assists, 25 digs, and four block assists, and missed on just three of her 23 serves on the night in another well-rounded game. Gracie Schofield added 20 digs from the back row and Hollynn Wakefield had five kills on the outside. Payton Baumel also served 100%.
“We’re not just going to lay down and give it to them, we were going to make them fight and earn it,” Marti Smith said. “That’s exactly what we did. We had great energy in that fifth set, we just didn’t capitalize on opportunities when we had them. I love the fight in the fifth set, we kept at it and made them have to earn their points. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The win gives the Bearcats their second victory over the Tigers this season, both in dramatic five-set fashion. And after wishing they could get past the Tigers in a sweep Tuesday, they’ll be happy to escape Ron Brown Court with a win at all in a tight match.
“We need to make sure that we win the games that we need to win and that we’re supposed to win,” Lucas said. “We know we can play at a high level, we just need to stay consistent. They know they can play.”
The Tigers will get a bye this Thursday before taking on Black Hills on the road on Tuesday, while the Bearcats play the Wolves this Thursday.
