There were multiple times where the game could have gotten away from the Centralia volleyball team at home on Tuesday night.
The Tigers lost the first set and the third set to Aberdeen, putting themselves in a hole, and they trailed early in the fourth set. Even after coming back to win Set 4, they found themselves in a five-point hole early in the fifth.
Centralia battled back to tie it late in the fifth set, but Aberdeen scored the final four points of the game to win the EvCo opener 25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-11.
It was clear that the two sides would be trading blows throughout the night early. After Aberdeen took a 4-3 lead, Centralia went on a 7-0 run, but the Bobcats responded with an 11-1 run to go up 15-11. The Tigers went on another run later in the set, though, rattling off six of seven points to tie the set at 22.
Centralia went on another run in the second set, scoring 11 of 14 points in the middle of the set to turn a two-point deficit into a six-point lead.
“The girls want so much for themselves and for each other,” Centralia coach Marti Smith said. “I felt like they did such a remarkable job anytime we were down, you didn’t feel like we were down. I felt like they kept good, consistent energy.”
Down 23-17 in the third set, the Tigers rallied to get within one at 24-23, but lost the final point before they could extend it. In the fourth set, Centralia ended the frame on a 10-4 run to force a fifth.
“They were so quick to self-correct,” Smith said. “That’s what I really love to see tonight … This game provided a lot of growth for our girls, and they showed that.”
During these stretches, the Tigers were able to generate a bit of an attack, but they mainly relied on keeping the ball in play in an effort to try and force the Bobcats to make a mistake.
“As long as we put the ball to the other side, the pressure is on them,” Smith said. “That’s what we need to try to focus on, and I feel like we did that in the last set.”
That mindset and strategy helped the Tigers tie the set at 11 after falling behind 6-1, but the Bobcats ended the game with a 4-0 run.
Kendyl Guenther and Melissa Baine led a revamped effort at the net defensively, as Guenther posted five blocks and Baine added two along with six assist blocks.
“I felt like we got a lot more touches on blocks tonight,” Smith said. “The girls started trusting their timing and their communication.”
Guenther also added nine kills, and Baine finished with four. Ceiana Arelong added 23 assists and 12 digs while going 16 for 17 from the service line, Ryleigh Butler finished with six kills, and Alena Brenner went a perfect 10 for 10 at the line.
Eliyah Rooklidge ended the night with 22 digs, Ava Horst added 18, and Inacia Paull logged 15.
The loss puts Centralia at 3-5 overall and 0-1 to start EvCo play, and the Tigers have a tough road test on Thursday in Tumwater, which won its league opener over W.F. West on Tuesday.
If Centralia can put together a similar performance as they did against Aberdeen, Smith is confident that the Tigers have more than a puncher’s chance.
“What the girls showed out here tonight, the fight and the grit, you can feel good going into Thursday and know that they’re gonna go out and fight for every point,” Smith said.
