Sidney volleyball victorious in five-set bout at Mitchell

It took five nail-biting sets, but the Sidney High School varsity girls' volleyball team took home its first victory of the season Tuesday night against the host Mitchell Tigers.

Sidney prevailed 22-25, 27-25, 25-15, 19-25, 15-7. And for the players, getting that first "W" out of the way against a solid team on the road was a relief after starting the season 0-2.

"After you get that first win, it's easier to get the next one and it keeps building your confidence to just keep going," said junior setter Emily Mahr, who collected 22 assists in the match.

Behind the energy of their home crowd, the Tigers took the first set 25-22, putting Sidney in an early hole. The two squads traded points for what seemed like the entire evening. Each set came down to defense and to who made fewer mistakes.

Mitchell was a scrappy bunch especially in the first set. Sidney mounted several strong attacks from different angles, but the Tigers were able to parry most of the Lady Raiders' offerings.

The Tigers' defense was a bit taxing mentally and physically for the Sidney players. Rarely did the ball find floor space on their side on consectutive plays.

"It (the Mitchell defense) was stressful," Mahr said. "After one (a ball hitting the floor), we all knew we had to get the next one."

Sidney responded well in the second set. It was a much cleaner one for the Lady Raiders as mistakes were minimized and their attacks finally started to find holes in the Mitchell defense. 

Also led by senior middle blocker Savanna Rosenbaum's three ace serves, Sidney won its first set of the season, 27-25, to tie the match 1-1. Rosenbaum would finish the night with five aces and 18 kills. 

And the momentum from that elusive first set win clearly carried over into the third frame. The Lady Raiders played what was by far their best set of the year, winning 25-15. The Sidney defense really amped up and Mitchell – not considered a particularly attack-minded team – had trouble scoring. 

Perhaps the Tigers' legs were starting to tire a little, as Sidney went on a 13-2 run to take a commanding 22-10 advantage late in the set.

With Sidney leading two sets to one, Mitchell found an answer in the fourth set. Still, the Lady Raiders hung tight, only trailing 12-10 midway through. Sidney started to get aggressive and began to make some of the same mistakes it had made to start the match. The Tigers capitalized and won the set 25-19. 

It all came down to a first-to-15 fifth set to decide the match. Once again, the scoring went back and forth as the two teams were tied 3-3 at first. But Sidney found momentum at the right time and was able to build an 8-1 run that put them up 11-4 en route to the victory. 

The Tigers made it a little closer, but the Lady Raiders sealed the win with a emphatic and powerful kill from sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Knight to finish things off at 15-7. 

Sidney head coach Sarah Wilson was pleased that the win was a challenge for her team, and it was another one of those teaching moments for the players.

"I thought it was good that this went five sets," Wilson said. "It built tenacity in us and taught us how to persevere all the way through. It was great to play a team like Mitchell that keeps returning it. We had to go on the attack to earn the points. It was a good night for our girls to grow and learn."

Sidney will head home to take on the Sutherland Sailors (1-1) on Thursday at 4 p.m. 

Spirits and confidence will be high when the team steps into game action on its home floor for the first time in 2014. 

"The confidence is huge," Wilson said. "We needed this win tonight to believe in ourselves as a team and to believe that we really do have the potential."