The Centralia volleyball team won its first set against 3A Heritage 25-19 on Thursday, and then everything went completely bonkers, as the Tigers lost after the next four sets all went to extra points, 19-25, 26-24, 25-27, 28-26, 14-16.
“Overall for a spectator, it was probably a very fun match to watch, just because of the back-and-forth,” Centralia coach Marti Smith said.
For Smith and the Tigers (8-5, 6-4 2A EvCo), it was a little bit more stressful, and playing up a classification, they had the Timberwolves on the ropes for much of the night. Up two sets to one, Centralia gave away 11 points in the fourth on unforced errors, helping Heritage to the win and the momentum.
“Just give us two or three of those, and it’s a different match,” Smith said.
Lauren Wasson posted 21 kills to lead the offense, and Makayla Chavez had seven kills and five aces.
Gracie Schofield had 17 digs on defense, while Heaven Jacobson and Makenzie Erickson both had 12. At the net, Payton Baumel had three blocks.
McKenna Smith posted a perfect service night, complete with two aces, and also had 11 digs and four kills.
The result snaps a three-game winning streak for Centralia heading into the final week of the regular season, with two important matches against Black Hills and Aberdeen — two of the three teams ahead of the Tigers in the 2A EvCo standings — to wrap their slate up.
“Even though we were on the losing end of it, it was good for them to be in those situations, because it’s probably not going to be the last time,” Marti Smith said.
