Panthers Survive Second Straight Five-Setter, Edge Cascade Christian
If you're keeping track, this is now two home matches in a row that Bonney Lake has needed every last point to win. Monday night's non-conference clash with Cascade Christian turned into another five-set epic match, this time with a rowdy visiting student section pushing right back against a packed Panther crowd from start to finish.
Bonney Lake pulled it out, 25-11, 18-25, 22-25, 25-21, 16-14, behind another monster night from Taylin Beers, who finished with a staggering 25 kills.
Panthers Roll Early
Bonney Lake wasted no time setting the tone. Taylin Beers came out swinging, and the Panthers jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Cascade Christian got on the board. Olivia Uhler added a block to push the lead further, and Kamryn Davisson chipped in with a clean outside swing once the reserves started rotating through late. The set never got close, and the Panthers cruised to a 25-11 win to open the match.
The Cougars Answer
Cascade Christian had other plans for the rest of the night. The visitors grabbed their first lead of the match at 12-11 in set two, and their student section made sure everyone in the building knew about it. Bonney Lake battled back with Beers and Lia Predmore connecting down the stretch, but Cascade Christian closed on a run to even the match at a set apiece, 25-18.
Set three was more of the same, a clean, low-error battle between two teams that weren't giving anything away. Bonney Lake clawed back from an early deficit, with Marley Joseph sparking a run of unanswered points to cut a seven-point Cascade Christian lead down to three. The Panthers pushed all the way to within one point late, but Cascade Christian closed it out, 25-22, taking a 2-1 match lead and putting Bonney Lake's back against the wall.
Larwig Sparks the Comeback
Facing elimination for the second straight week, Bonney Lake fell behind early in set four, down 5-1 after a Cascade Christian block. That's when Elli Larwig took over. She helped the Panthers claw back into it, then delivered a pair of stuff blocks at key moments to keep momentum on Bonney Lake's side as the two teams traded the lead deep into the set.
Cascade Christian rattled off three unanswered points late to tie it at 20, forcing a Bonney Lake timeout, but the Panthers had an answer. Jianna Goodloe served an ace to retake the lead, and Beers put an exclamation point on the set with a block to force a decisive fifth, 25-21.
Rice Refuses to Let It End
The fifth set was a rollercoaster from the opening whistle, and for a stretch there, it looked like Bonney Lake's two-game win streak was about to end. Cascade Christian built a lead and held it deep into the set, and when the Cougars went up 14-11, they weren't just ahead, they were one point from ending it. Game on the line, backs against the wall, match point against them.
Taylin Beers bought the Panthers one more possession with a kill to stay alive. That's when Tessa Rice refused to let the set end there, ripping off three straight points, one after another, to erase the deficit entirely and tie it at 14. What looked like a finished match minutes earlier was suddenly anybody's game.
With the gym holding its breath, the Panthers up by one, Beers delivered the finishing blow, a kill to win it outright and send the Bonney Lake student section into an absolute frenzy. From match point against them to match winners in the span of four points, the Panthers escaped with a comeback that will be hard to top, at least until the next one.
By the Numbers
Taylin Beers: 25 kills, 2 blocks
Marley Joseph: 10 kills, 4 blocks
Tessa Rice: 10 kills, 1 block
Elli Larwig: 5 kills, 2 blocks
Olivia Uhler: 3 kills, 1 block
Two matches into the season, two five-set wins at home. If Bonney Lake keeps this up, the Panthers might want to start selling tickets by the thriller.
Bonney Lake is right back at it Wednesday, September 16th, traveling to Olympia for a 7:00pm start, with the home rematch against the Bears the following Monday, September 21st. If the first two home matches are any indication, this is a team worth building your Monday night around.
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