NAPAVINE — Midway through the fifth set in Napavine, Adna was facing down a devastating defeat.
The Pirates won the first two sets of the match, but dropped the third and fourth and found themselves down seven points in the fifth.
During the timeout, Adna coach Wendie Dotson had a simple message to her group.
“You gotta want it, and you gotta fight for each other,” Dotson said.
Adna did just that, flipping the script and coming back to win the fifth set and win a thrilling match 25-13, 32-30, 14-25, 22-25, 15-13.
“They locked in and were able to get the job done,” Dotson said. “I credit the girls for their stamina and for keeping going.”
The final stretch of the fifth set, where the Pirates outscored the Tigers 11-2, resembled the end of the second set.
The Pirates dominated Set 1 to take a 1-0 lead, but Napavine built a 21-14 lead in the second set and was threatening to tie the match at one.
Instead, Adna went on a run to force extra points, survived a few set points during those extra points, and eventually won the set 32-30 to go up 2-0.
Carmen Chapman had multiple key plays to keep the Pirates alive during the extra points, including two block kills and another kill on a ball that slowly hovered over the net.
“She makes a lot of difference,” Dotson said. “She gets up there, and she’s lengthy. She’s still learning and has really improved this year as far as her timing and stuff like that. It’s nice to see her get that, because it builds that confidence.”
Chapman went on to finish with six kills, three stuffs, and a block, while Ella Nicholson tallied 12 kills, 11 digs, and an ace.
Taylor Johnson collected 18 assists, 12 digs, two kills, and an ace, and Emma Kissner tallied five kills, five steals, and three digs.
Makayla Maynard finished the night with 11 assists, nine digs, five kills, an ace, and a stuff, Presley Strodemier recorded seven digs, and Hadleigh Gerard logged six digs of her own.
Though Napavine went down 2-0, the Tigers didn’t go out without a fight. They rallied to win the third set in dominant fashion, and they overcame a 14-7 deficit in the fourth set to force the game-deciding fifth.
With every point they scored, the roar from the bench and the student section grew louder, and the celebrations on the floor became more animated.
“They wanted to win bad,” Napavine coach Monica Dailey said postgame. “They knew they had to pick it up and play hard.”
That momentum carried over into the final set, when the Tigers built their lead before it slipped away.
Napavine (3-11, 0-4 C2BL) remains without a league win entering the final week of the regular season.
“A very disappointing loss,” Dailey said. “They’ve been playing so hard for me the whole season, and playing hard for each other. It’s just heartbreaking that our (record) doesn’t reflect how hard they work … They’re a great group. I’m excited for our future, I just wish we were having a little bit more success now.”
Dailey credited her group for battling back, saying they did a great job putting the feedback the coaches were relaying to them into action, and she added that they were playing “smart enough” to get back into the game.
“They’re a great group of girls, and I appreciate how hard they’re working for us,” Dailey said. “I couldn’t ask for a better group.”
Ava Ondong finished with 21 digs and 12 kills, Makayla Brett dished out 15 assists, and Mya Garrett delivered five aces and had three block kills. Lilly Grabianowski led the defensive effort with 22 digs.
Sofia Bridgewater and Scarlett Dunivin were both perfect from the service line.
The Tigers will finish their regular season with matchups at Toledo on Thursday and at home against Toutle Lake on Monday.
Even if they lose both of those games, they will still end up in the district tournament bracket, but they would have to win two play-in games to reach the double-elimination portion of the tournament.
“We’re still climbing,” Dailey said. “We’ll have some play-in games, but it’s an opportunity. We’re still climbing, and we hope we peak at the right time. I have faith that they can.”
Now with their first league win under their belt, the Pirates (7-8, 1-4 C2BL) will also look to finish their regular season on a strong note. Adna will head to Naselle on Thursday before hitting the road again on Monday to face Rainier.
