Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Washington’s fifth set rally falls short in Burlington
Demons force winner take all final set, but Grayhounds prevail
BURLINGTON — Washington volleyball hit the road on Tuesday night with a trip to Burlington to face off with the Grayhounds.
The two squads did not disappoint in the Southeast Conference affair, as it came down to a winner-take-all fifth-set final.
Washington showed a lot of grit and determination on the night, but it was Burlington who narrowly came out on top, 3-2.
It was a back-and-forth battle as the two teams traded each set with Burlington winning the first.
The match ended 24-26, 25-20, 25-27, 25-18 and 14-16
It was a tough out for the Demons as four of the five sets were separated by five points or less and three went beyond the match point total.
Despite the loss, Washington showed a lot of heart.
With their backs against the wall through three matches and facing a 2-1 deficit, the Demons dug deep to get back into it.
After jumping out to a 3-0 lead, the Demons never trailed in the fourth.
With a 13-7 advantage, a kill by Ella Greiner put the Demons up seven, 14-7. That matched their largest lead of the night.
Burlington didn’t let up either, as they got it back down to three at 20-17 and 21-18, but kills from Greiner and Leighton Messinger all but put the match away.
In the fifth, it was another tight set at the start, but a big run by the Grayhounds had it looking like they were going to run away with it.
Washington had other plans.
After being down as much as five at 10-5, a kill by Greiner and an ace from Taylor Miksch kicked off a run that eventually saw the Demons knot it at 14-14.
However, Washington would score again as Burlington’s Annalise Buxton hit back-to-back kills to end it.
The match could have very well finished in Washington’s favor as the five-point deficit in the fifth set was the largest lead the Grayhounds ever held on the Demons.
Prior to that, Washington was four points or less away.
In set one, the Demons were the first to reach match point after a Greiner kill made it 24-23, but a Grayhound kill and a miss hit gave them the set win.
The second set saw Washington down by as much as four as Burlington held an 8-4 advantage.
However, the Demons fired back with nine straight points as an ace from Miksch and a miss hit by the Grayhounds put Washington up 13-8.
Burlington followed up with a 6-1 run to tie it at 14-14.
The two squads traded blows, and eventually, the Demons held onto a 21-20 lead. A service error and an ace from Miksch gave Washington a three-point advantage, and they were able to end it with another ace.
In set three, the two squads were tied 11 times beginning at 1-1 and ending at 25-25.
A Burlington ace gave them set point at 25-24, but Leighton Messinger drilled the ball into the hardwood to tie it.
But a pair of miss hits gave the Grayhounds the set victory.
Leighton Messinger finished with a team-high 22 kills in the loss. Greiner followed with 18 kills.
Remy Messinger ended with 22 assists and Lauren Hinrichsen had 16.
Greiner finished with 26 digs, Miksch ended with 17 and Isabella Salazar had 16.
Miksch also had four aces to lead and Messinger ended with three. Ruby Witthoft and Hinrichsen each had two. Greiner finished with one.
The Demons now sit at 4-10 on the season.
