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Two days after clinching the Little 4 championship, the St. Bernard’s Crusaders closed out the regular season in volleyball with a hard-fought win against McKinleyville on Thursday night.

The SB girls won a back-and-forth match by a score of 25-20, 22-25, 26-28, 26-24, 16-14, battling back from a 2-1 set deficit.

In an evenly-matched showdown, there were no more than three points separating the two teams at the end of the last four sets.

Both teams brought their A game.

“It was a battle,” St. Bernard’s head coach Rachel Evans said. “They were very exciting games. There were some really long rallies tonight, showing that both teams have talent and athletic ability.”

Despite the loss, McKinleyville head coach Ashley Washburn was more than happy with her players’ collective effort.

“This game was a true representation of what our young team is capable of,” she said. “They found their confidence and their groove and competed on an entirely new level, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Jocelyn Sunderg was instrumental in the win and finished with a team-high 14 kills, 22 digs and three blocks, while teammates Ella Hart and Natalie McLaughlin each had nine kills.

Sahara Tupua added 33 digs for SB and Kayla Maples had three blocks.

Nina Clayton also was instrumental in the late rally, recording two kills and a block in the first three plays of the deciding set to give her team a big boost.

Evans was happy with the clutch team performance late in the game.

“I love to see their determination and mental strength as we approach playoffs,” she said.

The Panthers had big contributions from several different players.

Sophomore Abby McCullough led the team in kills with 11, while senior Jessie Driggs added nine kills.

Sophomore Lil Loomis also impressed at the net and finished with nine blocks, while senior Hannah McCullough had a team-high 17 digs and junior Liana Stumpf added a team-best 33 assists.

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