Heading into the second volleyball Swamp Cup matchup of the season, Centralia could have accomplished two things at once.

The Tigers could have avenged their five-set loss to the Bearcats earlier this season, and they could have put themselves on the doorstep of a pigtail spot in the district tournament.

Instead, W.F. West flipped the script, topping Centralia 25-16, 21-25, 25-20, 25-14 to jump the Tigers in the standings and complete the season sweep.

“They did all the things that we’ve been working on,” W.F. West coach Tiffany Alvarado said. “They have the skill set, and they have all of the right tools. They just have to keep it together, and they did that tonight.”

It was clear W.F. West came to play early. Centralia took a quick 7-3 lead, but the Bearcats came out of a timeout and scored the next eight points to take the lead and force a Tiger timeout.

The Bearcats rolled through the rest of the set, outscoring the Tigers 14-9 from that point on, further energizing a lively student section with each point.

“Energy definitely played a factor,” Centralia coach Marti Smith said. “As far as spirited energy, W.F. West showed up with it.”

The Tigers lost the first set in the first matchup a few weeks back, and like last time, the Tigers regrouped and took the second set to tie the match at one.

Even after winning that set, the Bearcats still seemed to have more energy and played with more intensity, and that showed as the third and fourth sets progressed.

“They didn’t let the mental game get them down,” Alvarado said. “And that’s what we’ve really been talking about a lot lately.”

Centralia continued to struggle with unforced errors, an issue that they had seemingly gotten over after struggling early in the league season. The Tigers finished the night with 43 of them, including 19 attacking errors.

“I really thought we were over that hump,” Smith said. “I never doubted the girls that were on the court … But it was one of those nights where all three facets of the game weren’t connecting.”

W.F. West held off a late Centralia run to take the third set, and that momentum carried over into the fourth, where it took an 8-2 lead.

Later in the set, the Tigers got some life when a 4-1 run cut their deficit to seven, but the Bearcats slammed the door by scoring the final four points of the game.

Arianna Wheaton and Grace Simpson led the Bearcats with eight kills each, and Maddie Panther added seven. Simpson and Addison Adams had two aces each, and Admas led the team with 17 digs.

As a team, the Bearcats had 18 aces, led by Emma McGreal’s seven. She also had fives kills and a block, while Jaden Jensen had 12 assists, 10 digs, and two aces.

“This was definitely one of our best games this season,” Alvarado said.

McKenna Smith led the Tigers with eight kills and eight digs while only missing one serve. Maison also only missed one serve, and she finished with 13 assists and three aces. 

Payton Baumel and Mikaela Marazita both added five blocks and four kills, while Makenzie Erickson and Brooklyn Sprague combined for 35 digs. Erickson and Hollynn Wakefield were both perfect from the service line.

With the win, W.F. West jumped Centralia to move into the fourth and final district tournament spot from the EvCo. Both teams have two wins, but the both of W.F. West’s victories are against Centralia and the Tigers also have one more loss.

The path to the postseason is certainly a lot murkier now for Centralia. The Tigers’ final game of the regular season will be on Tuesday against Tumwater, which hasn’t lost a league game and hasn’t lost to a 2A opponent all season.

“We definitely did not put ourselves in a good position,” Smith said.

While W.F. West’s path is clearer, Alvarado wants to keep the focus on what they can control, starting with a matchup at home versus Shelton on Tuesday.

“One night at a time,” Alvarado said. “Our goal is to push hard, finish the season strong, and if that puts us in a playoff spot, then fabulous, we’re excited for it. But I really want them to keep playing hard.”