In an unusual twist, both teams found themselves with their backs to the wall as much as possible. The Patriots, trailing by two sets, were one point away from having their season slip away in the third set, trailing 24-19 before embarking on a wild ride to steal that set and dominate the fourth set.

The Indians, after giving up that two-set advantage, found themselves in a similar situation, trailing 9-5 in the deciding fifth set that ultimately ended in a 13-13 tie before junior Lucy Mincz scored two strangely similar points. -back to extend Powhatan’s season to the regional semifinals.

Mincz, usually a home run hitter with a strong arm, instead opted to hit the outstretched arms of several blockers on her final two shots, the first hitting two blockers and the winner hitting three.

“They expect a big swing because a big swing is great for a win, but an even better swing overall is using some strategy,” Mincz said. “It’s better to play strategically than to make the game on yourself.”

It was the kind of play head coach Amber Foos wanted to see after her team struggled to close out Patrick Henry’s season in the third set. Rather than the flashy play, Mincz showed intelligence, finding the hole in the defense and placing it perfectly there.

“She absolutely hit the nail on the head with that play,” Foos said.

Before that third set changed the scope of the game, the first two sets were electrifying on their own.

The Patriots came out quickly in the first two sets, first taking an 8-3 lead in the first set before the Indians took the lead at 14-13. They went back and forth deep in the set as the 25th point fast approached, with junior Ashlyn Morgan scoring the game-winner for a 25-23 final, getting a rebound on her own shot and making a play quick reaction to send it back over the net. .

The Patriots opened the next set with a 3-0 start, but Mincz and Mazie Harmon helped Powhatan take the lead. Mincz had two big kills on the floor for a 10-7 Indian lead, which then grew to 14-9 after an ace from senior Grace Gregoire.

With a timeout up 21-16, another ace came off the serve of Taylor Harper, while emphatic spikes from Morgan and Jane Holt held off a late Patriots rally for another Indians victory 25-23.

The momentum carried through most of the third set, with the Indians leading 24-19. With their season on the line, the Patriots responded by scoring seven straight points to steal the set and prolong the match.

Patrick Henry dominated the entire fourth set, with Powhatan looking sluggish after nearly ending the match. Despite a late scoring surge from the Indians, the Patriots had too big a lead and they pushed the match into the fifth set with a 25-9 victory. After losing 24-19, the Patriots responded with a 16-0 run that bled into the fourth set.

“It showed the other team was full of energy, and we broke down in that last set, and then we came back and said, look, our season isn’t going to end tonight and you’re working too hard and have done too much this season to let it all fall apart, so get back out there and fight,” Foos said of their fifth-set mentality.

After the Patriots continued to take control with a 9-5 lead in the fifth set, back-to-back aces from Grégoire and a kill from Morgan brought the Indians within one point at 9-8. They managed to tie it at 10-10 with another big ace, this time coming from Harmon.

The Patriots took their final lead to 12-10 in response, but from there the Indians were able to rally and finish the job, with Mincz accounting for three of the team’s final four points.

“Even though we lost in that set, we all believed in each other to come back, and we did,” Mincz said.

The Indians now prepare to face top-seeded Courtland in the regional semifinals, with Atlee and Hanover facing off on opposite sides of the bracket. The game, hosted at Courtland High School, will take place on Monday, November 11 at 6 p.m.