The Napavine volleyball team fought to force a fourth set against Rainier on Wednesday night, but the Tigers fell to the Mountaineers in four. Rainier took the match 25-19, 25-15, 25-27, 25-15.

Napavine took an early 5-1 lead, but the Mountaineers took control by going on a 17-4 run. That momentum carried over into the second set, where they took a 22-6 lead.

The third set was more back-and-forth, and the Tigers overcame a late 24-23 deficit to force extra points, which they won to force a fourth. Rainier responded by leading from start to finish in the fourth to seal the win.

A win would have sent Napavine through to the district tournament, but instead, they’ll miss out on district play for the first time in 20 years.

“The girls played with a lot of heart tonight,” Napavine coach Monica Dailey said. “They continued to fight with a lot of heart and aggression.”

Jessie McCoy had an excellent night, posting 20 kills, 16 assists, and 14 digs, and Emily Kang finished with 28 digs and was perfect from the service line. Kendall Kelly also made no serving errors.

Nicholle Valentine had nine kills and three block kills, while Kennedy Purvis finished with eight kills and Lillian Blair added seven assists.

Much of this team will be back next fall, as McCoy and Kang were the only two seniors on the team.

“They’re gonna be missed,” Dailey said. “They’re leaving behind a great legacy of leadership. They’re great kids, and the girls are not gonna be excited that they’re not gonna be there next year.”

Dailey is looking forward to bouncing back next fall with the returners, saying that they “had great chemistry and were kind to each other.” 

“They’re just great humans,” Dailey said.

The Tigers finish the season 6-10 and 2-6 in league play. Rainier (14-3, 6-2 C2BL) finishes third in the C2BL and will face Raymond-South Bend in a district quarterfinal at Adna on Saturday.