Demons never say die, but season ends

PELLA - Down 2-0 in sets and 23-18 in the third set to Pella Wednesday in a Class 4A first round game of the postseason, the Washington volleyball team refused to let their season end in that way.

The Demons outscored Pella 8-1 to win that third set 26-24.

Alas, the Demons lost the fourth set 25-10 to lose 3-1 and Pella advances to Tuesday's regional semifinal at No. 8 Marion.

'They fought back and pushed through,” Washington assistant coach Callyn Roberts said. 'I think they like being the underdogs. That's when they fight the most. When people think it's impossible, it seems like that's when they come through.”

'I think we got out of our flow a little bit,” Pella head coach Catie Brand said about the third set. 'I give a lot of credit to Washington. They played error free at the end of that set. There were no swings into the net or missed serves. They really stepped it up.”

The Demons stepped it up to start the match with consecutive Addison Six kills and an ace from Kinsey Duwa for a 4-1 lead, but Pella rallied to lead 10-4. An ace from Taylor Brinning pulled the Demons within 14-10 but Pella went on a run for a 25-17 win.

The second set was tied at 4 but Pella took a 13-8 lead, sparking a Demon timeout. Hannah Anderson and Olivia Marek connected on kills to get Washington within 13-10 and it was 18-15 after an Olivia Pacha block, but the Dutch again pulled away to win 25-16.

The Demons trailed 9-5 in the third and 14-9, but a Kaitlyn Mitchell ace made it 15-14 deficit. A Six kill made it 18-17 but it was never tied until 24. An Alexa Mitchell kill from the back row made it set point and a Six kill sparked off a celebration.

'What we always try to instill in them is find the court,” Roberts said. 'At least we made them work for it. They pulled together and said we are not done. We had a large group of seniors that were really talented and it's sad that the season is over. It is bittersweet that this is their last hurrah. They have put a lot into it. It was good volleyball. It was good stuff to watch.”

'It look like they decided they were not going to let us just run with it,” Brand said. 'That was impressive for them to come back like that. I think that really woke my girls up and made them play a lot cleaner in the last set.”