It took all five sets in the Division 2 championship at Cerritos College for a winner to be determined.
In the end, the Santa Margarita Eagles defeated the West Ranch Wildcats in five sets, 26-28, 25-21, 25-23, 13-25, 15-11.
The Wildcats began the game with uncharacteristic mistakes.
Errors on defense cost the Wildcats as the Eagles opened the game with a 5-0 lead.
But the Wildcats took the lead following a 9-3 scoring run after an error on offense from the Eagles.
Although the momentum seemed to have been with West Ranch, the teams exchanged leads and tied the game multiple times in the first set with neither pulling ahead.
Devyn Kobe kept the Wildcats in the game as she recorded multiple kills and an ace.
The Eagles railed back and tied the set at 22 apiece and took the lead following a hitting error from the Wildcats, which prompted a timeout from coach Jamey Ker.
Following the stoppage, the Wildcats played cleanly and took the first set following a kill from Kobe, along with timely blocks and kills from Dani Clewis, and clinched the victory following a violation by the Eagles.
In the second set, the Wildcats trailed by five again as the Eagles led 12-7 following a hitting error from Grace Kelley.
But she was sure to correct her mistakes on the following rallies, as the Wildcats trailed 12-9 after back-to-back kills from Kelley.
Following the kills, the Eagles didn’t falter and took the second-set victory as they kept the Wildcats at bay all throughout the second.
In the third set, the Wildcats trailed again.
The Eagles opened with a 10-5 lead over the Wildcats following four straight points that were mistakes from the West Ranch offense.
After a rally to cut the deficit, the Eagles extended their lead to 17-9 with all the momentum on Santa Margarita’s side.
The Eagles extended their lead 24-17, but the Wildcats rallied back to cut the deficit to one following seven straight points.
In the end of the third set, it was the Eagles who took the narrow win following a kill that landed exactly on the line and needed the referee to make the call.
In the fourth set, the Wildcats opened with a lead of their own.
Following five straight points to open the set, the Eagles rallied back to stay within range. But the Wildcats played cleanly to lead 16-10 before the coaches at Santa Margarita called a timeout.
The Wildcats won the fourth set with a mighty 25-13 score as they finished with a 7-3 scoring run and forced a fifth set.
In the fifth, despite taking the first point, the Wildcats trailed 5-1 following a scoring run from the Eagles that was highlighted with three straight aces.
Both teams punched with kills, but it was the Eagles who led 12-7, which prompted Ker to refocus his team.
Back-to-back points cut the deficit to three for West Ranch and the Wildcats were back in the game and the Eagles called their own timeout.
But the Eagles rallied and closed the game out with a fifth-set win to claim the championship over West Ranch.
With the loss, the Wildcats finished as finalists in the Southern Section, but the season isn’t over.
State competition begins next week, and it serves as a reminder for Ker and his team that despite the loss in the finals, there are still games to win.
Information on who the Wildcats will face and when the competition will begin was not available at the time of this publication.
