RAPID CITY – Wolsey-Wessington started strong, but could not find a way to finish on Saturday afternoon.

The Warbirds fell to Colman-Egan 22-25, 20-25, 25-12, 25-20, 15-12 in the fifth-place match of the Class B State Volleyball Tournament at The Monument.

Wolsey-Wessington senior Kailynn Dorris said despite the loss, the team played competitively.

“We got down on ourselves, but it’s OK, we played our hardest at the time,” Dorris said.

Wolsey-Wessington darted out to a 9-2 lead in the opening set, forcing the Hawks to play catchup early on. Colman-Egan coach Abigail Dockter said it was hard to come back once the team fell into a deficit.

“We got down so early, letting them get on a run and we just started off in a hole to begin, so it was just hard,” Dockter said.

Despite the early deficit, Colman-Egan rallied back to tie the set, and it became a back-and-forth affair until Wolsey-Wessington finished the set with the final three points.

Wolsey-Wessington coach Lindy Uttecht said the team’s passing and hitting were the keys to building the early advantage.

“Our passing was pretty good and our hitters got hot,” she said, “and we just kept going to the right hitters.”

Set two was more of the same. Both teams traded leads until the Warbirds built a 16-13 advantage. From there, the Warbirds closed out the set, not allowing the Hawks to claim any momentum.

“We were just like flowing really good as a team, I think,” Wolsey-Wessington sophomore Kendal Uttecht said.

The Warbirds began set three looking as if they would make it a clean sweep. Wolsey-Wessington built a 6-2 lead, but the momentum quickly swung over to Colman-Egan, which went on a 10-3 run to claim a 12-9 lead before the Warbirds called a timeout. However, the Hawks had grabbed the momentum and ran away with the set, changing the entire match.

“I think we had much better passes,” Dockter said of the third set. “The first two sets we couldn’t it in front of the 10-foot line, so it was very hard to really use our offense. We were able to use our middles, which really helped us.”

Colman-Egan continued to pull away, ending the set on a 7-0 run to force a fourth set.

Meanwhile, the Warbirds were struggling mentally to stay in the game.

“We kind of played a little skittish and then Colman-Egan caught fire,” Coach Uttecht said. “We had a few (balls) hit the floor and then I think our heads went down and we just couldn’t pull ourselves out of it.”

Colman-Egan led throughout much of set four as Wolsey-Wessington struggled to find a consistent rhythm, setting up an intense set five.

The final set began with both teams jockeying for momentum. The Warbirds held a 10-6 lead when Dockter called a timeout, hoping to get the Hawks out of their current rotation.

“We had to get (our offense) set up and somebody had to be at the net, because we were doing too much tipping and whatnot,” Dockter said. “We finally got out of that rotation and we somehow got on a run and we kind of just took over from there.”

Colman-Egan not only took over, they claimed their second comeback win of the tournament, also defeating Faulkton in Friday’s consolation semifinals after falling behind by two sets.

“I guess we’re the comeback kids, because that’s what the last two days have kind of been,” Dockter said. “I hate that they do that and put us under that much stress, but I’m so unbelievably proud of them and how hard they worked.”

Coach Uttecht credited Colman-Egan for taking advantage of the Warbirds’ mistakes.

“We weren’t making good passes and they started hitting the ball and we kind of got timid and tipping and trying to push. We just couldn’t get out of it,” Coach Uttecht said. “They’re a very good team, very well-coached, very athletic, so it was a good matchup.”

The Warbirds finished the season 30-6, and Uttecht said this season’s success will hopefully carry into the future of the program.

“I think girls, they see this success and they just want it for themselves,” Uttecht said. “I think this will motivate people to come to summer and just work hard.”

Dorris, who finished with a match-leading 22 kills, hoped that the team represented the community well at the tournament.

“Honestly, I just hope that we represented good attitudes,” Dorris said.

Coach Uttecht noted just how much the seniors have meant to her.

“Obviously, I have a senior,” Coach Uttecht said, referring to her daughter Lainey. “I’ve watched those girls do everything since they were (young), all the sports. It’ll be tough to see them go for sure. They’ve been good leaders this year and wish them the best of luck in their next chapter of life. We’ve got to get another group ready to go next year.”

Serving: Wolsey-Wessington 4 aces (Tatum Luce 3, Kailynn Dorris 1); Colman-Egan 6 aces (Presley Luze 2, Brynlee Landis 2, Elaina Rhode 1, Daniela Lee 1).

Hitting: Wolsey-Wessington 59 kills (Dorris 22, Samara Clemente 17, Luce 12); Colman-Egan 50 kills (Landis 20, Lee 15).

Setting: Wolsey-Wessington 56 assists (Kendal Uttecht 32, Payton Kemnitz 19); Colman-Egan 48 assists (Lanie Mousel 25, Kaylee Voelker 21).

Digs: Wolsey-Wessington 80 digs (Kendal Uttecht 21, Shae Uttecht 18, Lainey Uttecht 13, Dorris 9); Colman-Egan 61 digs (Luze 17, Voelker 14, Lee 10, Landis 8).

Blocks: Wolsey-Wessington 1 solo 10 assists (Clemente 1 solo 3 assists, Kendal Uttecht 3 assists, Dorris 2 assists); Colman-Egan 7 solo (Lee 2 solo).

Records: Wolsey-Wessington 30-6; Colman-Egan 30-6.