The intensity was in Roncalli Gym on Tuesday night.

Aberdeen Roncalli held off Mobridge-Pollock 25-19, 26-24, 22-25, 25-22 for a thrilling four-set non-conference volleyball win that was about as intense as it gets.

“It was very intense, and coming close to the end of the match, we just knew we had to stay focused and stick together as a team,” said Roncalli junior outside hitter McKenna O’Keefe.

Roncalli coach Mandy Smid said the win proved several things to her team.

“Tonight was really like a confidence booster, but also to solidify for the girls that we’re where we belong and they’re where they belong, and we’re able to compete at this level against a really outstanding team,” Smid said. “Definitely the hard-fought match I was expecting.”

The Cavaliers stuck together throughout the night, which started by building a lead during a wild first set, and gaining the advantage over the Tigers early with the set one win.

Set two carried just as much intensity as set one, as Mobridge-Pollock built an early lead before Roncalli grabbed a 17-12 advantage of its own. After a Tiger timeout, Mobridge-Pollock went on a 12-6 run, retaking the lead, 24-23. The Tigers called another timeout, hoping to regroup and finish the set with a match point. But instead, the Cavaliers finished the set with three consecutive points, stealing the Tigers’ potential set two win.

“I think the girls did an excellent job of weathering that and bringing the score back even and back-and-forth a few times and then finally taking that,” Smid said. “That definitely was a momentum shifter, a tide changer, and credit to Mobridge, that could’ve been a turn over and let the game go.”

Cavalier middle hitter Ava Hanson, who led the team with three aces and also contributed 12 kills, said it took a team effort to finish set two.

“Man, the second set, that was insane,” Hanson said. “We pushed together. That was not one person; that was a whole team effort.”

Meanwhile, Mobridge-Pollock coach Rose Henderson said several factors led to her team losing the first two sets.

“We were timid sometimes, they served aggressively, we didn’t pass as well as we’d like to, and we had some off hitters,” Henderson said.

Set three looked like it would be a mirror image of set two, as Mobridge-Pollock clung to a 24-22 advantage late in the set. However, this time the Tigers completed the set.

“They came back after losing two sets and played hard,” Henderson said. “That shows a little bit of maturity and some character.”

Hanson said the team had to motivate each other to weather the storm of the set three loss.

“We kind of just fell apart,” Hanson said. “It kind of put a spark in our mind that hey this isn’t going to take one person, it’s going to take all of us, and that’s what we did. We got down on ourselves, but we lifted each other back up.”

Smid said her team lacked aggressiveness in set three, which led to the loss. “I think that we just played a little bit timid,” Smid said. “We didn’t play quite as aggressively. We tried to tip it a few more times, we tried to be fancy, I suppose, and find some open spots, rather than just playing aggressively.”

Throughout the night, Hanson and Mobridge-Pollock’s Charley Henderson battled in the front row and led their teams no matter the situation.

“She’s a consistent player. She’s an aggressive hitter and server,” Coach Henderson said of Charley. “We love having her on the floor when she’s there, but you know, a lot of her teammates, they work well together.”

Smid is constantly impressed with Hanson’s ability to handle her emotions and lead others on the court.

“I like to see the emotions that are well in check and to be under control, and I think that Ava did a nice job,” Smid said. “She got blocked a few times, but she was right there to pick her teammates back up and cheer them along. She was able to keep swinging and providing those opportunities for other players on our side to have that success for the night.”

The match culminated with a see-saw battle in set four as both squads traded points for much of the set. Tied at 21, the Tigers called a timeout. When action resumed, the Cavaliers were able to finish the game on a 4-1 run, thwarting any attempt of a Tigers comeback.

“We just came out of that timeout knowing that we have worked for this the whole night and we just had to finish,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe finished with 19 digs, while Camryn Bain led the Cavaliers with 45 digs. Jaidyn Feickert tallied a team-high 15 kills and two aces, while Maddie Huber had 20 assists and one solo block.

For Mobridge-Pollock, Charley Henderson finished with eight kills, four aces, and a pair of solo blocks, while Ryli Thompson led with nine kills, along with two aces. Reagan Weisbeck led with 21 digs.

The Tigers (20-4) will now travel to Sully Buttes on Thursday and Coach Henderson said the team will need to continue to make improvements.

“We just have to be a little more consistent in some of our offense, knowing that we’re heads up all the time,” Coach Henderson said. “Knowing where the opponents’ hitters are so we are never taken by surprise.”

Roncalli, now 13-3 on the season, will shift its attention to the Rustler Invite on Saturday.

Smid is looking forward to seeing how her team continues to improve.

“That should be another great test,” Smid said. “Lots of great competition there. Really see how well we are conditioned, how well we can stay focused throughout an entire day and play all of those matches. Definitely lots of season left that we have to play out, but I feel good about it.”

Serving: Mobridge-Pollock 80-90 8 aces (Charley Henderson 10-13 4 aces, Ryli Thompson 17-19 2 aces, Raelyn Aberle 16-17 1 ace, Reagan Weisbeck 12-12 1 ace); Aberdeen Roncalli 89-97 9 aces (Ava Hanson 16-19 3 aces, Jaidyn Feickert 9-9 2 aces).

Hitting: Mobridge-Pollock 146-165 40 kills (Thompson 30-33 9 kills, Aberle 29-32 8 kills, Henderson 32-41 8 kills, Sophia Overland 23-24 6 kills); Aberdeen Roncalli 161-181 46 kills (Feickert 39-42 15 kills, Hanson 33-43 12 kills).

Setting: Mobridge-Pollock 145-148 34 assists (Katy Kemnitz 69-71 21 assists, Sophia Overland 62-63 10 assists); Aberdeen Roncalli 170-171 42 assists (Faith Danielson 76-77 21 assists, Maddie Huber 72-72 20 assists).

Digs: Mobridge-Pollock 56 digs (Weisbeck 21, Aberle 12); Aberdeen Roncalli 107 digs (Camryn Bain 45, McKenna O’Keefe 19).

Blocks: Mobridge-Pollock 5 solo 15 assists (Henderson 2 solo 7 assists, Sophia Overland 5 assists, Grace Overland 2 solo, Thompson 2 assists); Aberdeen Roncalli 1 solo (Huber 1 solo).

Records: Mobridge-Pollock 20-4; Aberdeen Roncalli 13-3.