Hinckley-Finlayson hosted Pine City in a volleyball match on Tuesday night.
The first set was action packed from start to finish. Neither team could manage to pull away, as soon as a lead was taken the other team quickly tied it up. Near the end of the set Pine City was able to gather the last few points needed for the set win 25-20.
The second set had a much different feel. The Jaguars were able to jump out to an early lead and never looked back. They were able to shift any and all momentum to their side of the court. Although everything seemed to favor Hinckley-Finlayson, the Dragons still fought till the very end and nearly put on the comeback. But the Jags won the set 25-20.
With the match tied at one, it felt like the 3rd set would go a long ways in determining who would come out on top. As set 3 began it was all Jaguars, every bounce and call was going their way. They were also helped out by a good amount of mistakes on the Dragons side. It felt as if Pine City had lost all morale, the Jags won the set 25-14.
With a 2-1 match lead Hinckley-Finlayson had all the confidence they were going to be able to close out the win. They were again able to jump out to an early lead, but this time they couldn't pull away. Instead the Dragons came back and tied the set. With Pine City tying the set momentum seemed to pull back even. After the tie it was a battle once again between both teams. The Dragons would come out on top 25-21 and tied the match at 2.
With the 5th and final set it was anyone's match to win. Pine City was able to come out hot, firing on all cylinders and held a 5-1 lead before the Jags called a timeout. The timeout helped some as the Jags were able to get a point back. But that was short lived as the Dragons quickly ended the set winning 15-4 and taking the match 3-2.
For Pine City the win puts them at 9-3 on the season and 3-1 in section play as well as 4-1 in conference play. They'll head to Chisago Lakes on Saturday to compete in a tournament.
Hinckley-Finlayson falls to 3-5 on the season 2-4 in the section and 1-4 in conference play. They'll travel to Ogilvie on Thursday for another conference battle against the Lions.
