It was a rubber match the Calvary Lutheran Lady Lions and the Eugene Lady Eagles had been waiting impatiently for a week to take place.
Eugene won the first match in three sets. Calvary Lutheran won the rematch three days later in straight sets. But the third match, the most important one, would decide the district championship.
And this time, it was taking place at Calvary Lutheran.
The Lady Lions made the most of their home-court advantage Tuesday night, winning the Class 1 District 12 championship with a 25-18, 25-16 victory against the Lady Eagles.
"When we found out that we got the votes to host districts, we couldn't have been more excited," Calvary Lutheran first-year coach Kandace Cook said. "Our whole crowd could be there and cheer us on, and we loved that part of it. We could not wait."
The first two meetings took place in Eugene.
The Lady Eagles rallied to beat the Lady Lions 14-25, 25-18, 25-20 on Oct. 19 in the championship match of the Eugene Tournament.
"That really hurt and we were like, 'Man, we have to step this up if we really want it,'" Calvary Lutheran senior Sarah Johnson said.
Then last Tuesday, Calvary Lutheran won the rematch 25-14, 25-20.
"I'm actually glad they were within the last two weeks, because it benefited us," Cook said. "We could see what they did and what we needed to do.
"They picked on us in some places they knew they saw were weak on us, and we fought back from that."
Calvary Lutheran (21-6-3) will play District 9 champion Greenfield (18-12-4) on Saturday in the Class 1 sectionals. The winner will play either Rich Hill (14-13-1) or the District 11 champion later that day in the quarterfinals.
While the match was intense from start to finish, the only time Calvary Lutheran trailed was following the opening point of the second set.
"We knew coming out of the gate, we had to start off strong," Cook said. "We had to get a lead, because that was the only way we were going to finish. If we went point-to-point with them, it would be such a close game."
Kills by Elizabeth Lieb and Abby Fisher gave top-seeded Calvary Lutheran an early 3-1 lead in the first set. After two Eugene errors, Jaelyn Engelbrecht had a block and a kill on a free ball to extend the lead to 7-1.
But early deficits haven't been a foreign concept this season for Eugene, the district's No. 2 seed.
"We're usually the comeback kids," Eugene coach Kristi Kellogg said. "We usually lag in the beginning and we come back. I don't know why they like to stress me out like that, but they do it."
After a kill by Julia Kollmeyer gave Calvary Lutheran a 14-7 lead, Eugene began its comeback. A kill by Baylee Angerer and a service ace by Ava Puckett made it a five-point game, then a kill by McKensie Peneston and a block by Jaiden Dickey made the score 15-13.
But that was as close as the Lady Eagles would get. On three occasions, Eugene got its deficit down to two points, and Calvary Lutheran answered with a side-out each time.
"If they would have gotten it down to one (point), that would have been when I called a timeout and say, 'We've got to get this point, guys,'" Cook said. "But I do like them to think for themselves and be independent, and they have to pull themselves out of it."
Engelbrecht had a block and an ace to give the Lady Lions a 19-15 edge, while Johnson had a pair of kills to help stretch the lead to 24-17. Calvary Lutheran followed with an attack error but took the set on the next point with a Eugene service error.
Gracie Backes opened the second set with a kill, but Calvary Lutheran answered with five straight points to take the lead for good.
Johnson said communication was the key in Tuesday's win.
"We had to talk and we had to listen to each other and know where we were," she said. "We've come together so much as a team this year, with the new girls coming in and having to fill big shoes."
Eugene closed the gap again to two points at 15-13, but Abi Lagore answered with three kills in a five-point stretch to make the score 20-13.
Fisher recorded seven straight service points to help put the set out of reach.
"We got some comfort in that," Cook said. "It gave us a cushion after we made a couple of hitting errors and we were able to come back from it. Her serve was a great aspect for us tonight."
Johnson added a kill during that stretch, pushing the ball to an empty spot on the Eugene back row for a point. She recorded her 11th kill of the night to set up match point at 24-16.
"Mine was definitely being smart and finding those holes," Johnson said of her front-row play. "You can't hit a hard ball every time, they're going to learn to read it. You have to find the holes, the deep corners or just getting a shot over the block, being a smart player."
Lieb finished the match with a kill on the next point.
Engelbrecht and Lagore each had four kills for Calvary Lutheran, while Kollmeyer had 16 assists. Engelbrecht added 15 digs and two solo blocks, Lagore and Johnson each had eight digs and Maddi Layson had three aces.
Following the match, the Lady Lions were happy just to be able to have practice the next day.
"My senior season isn't over yet," Johnson said. "It's still going on, and we can still go so much further."
Backes led Eugene with four kills, followed by Shae Engelbrecht with three kills. Macy Adrian and Peneston each tallied two kills.
Eugene, which had five of its six seniors in the starting lineup Tuesday, ends its season with a 24-4 record.
"We knew coming into it that it was going to be a tough, even match," Kellogg said. "As long as we gave it our all, then we have nothing to regret."
In earlier action Tuesday, Calvary Lutheran opened with a 25-7, 25-12 semifinal win against No. 5 seed Bunceton/Prairie Home. Jaelyn Engelbrecht had six of her team-high seven kills in the first set, while Lagore added six kills for the Lady Lions.
In the second semifinal match, Eugene knocked out No. 3 seed Chamois in straight sets 25-6, 25-12. Shae Engelbrecht led Eugene with nine kills, while Peneston had six kills and two aces. Adrian, Angerer and Backes each had three kills.
For Chamois (7-8), Alexis Slusser had three kills and Makenna Wuelling added two aces.