Aberdeen Central got its punches in before Sioux Falls Jefferson eventually landed the knockout blow Thursday night.

Central pushed third-rated Jefferson to the brink before falling in five sets 25-27, 25-14, 17-25, 25-14, 15-8 in non-conference volleyball action at Golden Eagles Arena.

“We wanted it, we wanted it more than them. So we fought, and we fought our best. We tried to get that W, but came up close. Came up short,” said Central junior Kenadi Withers. “They’re a good team. They’re a really good team. I mean they’re (seeded) number four, we’re (seeded) number nine, so it will definitely help us going to fight with them, definitely boost our confidence.”

The Golden Eagles started off hot, holding a lead for much of the first set and owned a 23-18 advantage before Jefferson scored five straight points to tie the score. Central had a set point at 24-23, before Jefferson had a set point at 25-24. Central then reeled of three straight points to close out the set.

“That first set win was really important because we kind of let a lead slip away there, and they had set point in the first,” said Golden Eagles coach Jackie Bindenagel. “And we battled back and ended up taking it. I just thought they were pretty gritty tonight.”

Winning that first set was crucial for the Golden Eagles, because it gave them confidence that they could compete with one of the top teams in Class AA.

“That just helped us know that we could win, and we could do it, and we could beat them,” Withers said. “The opening set is one of the biggest sets, and winning that one just really helped us.”

Jefferson responded with 14 kills en route to a second set win to level the match.

Bindenagel knew the challenge that came with facing one of the best teams in AA.

“They got great hitters, and we knew we wouldn’t be able to get a stuff block all night, but we needed to slow it down,” said Bindenagel. “We would go in stretches where we would really do that, and that really helped our defense out, too.”

Central bounced back in the third set flipping the script, this time outhitting the Cavaliers, 14-6 in kills. Lauryn Burckhard had six kills in the set, and Withers contributed four.

“Yeah, I was just feeling it. I wanted it, I wanted to win,” Withers said. “I was just going at it and trying my best to get that W.”

Jefferson pieced together seven unanswered points in the fourth set to tie the match again and force a fifth and deciding set.

“In the fourth set, yeah, we got stuck in a rotation or two, and we tried to set a little momentum going into the fifth, but I guess it wasn’t quite enough,” Bindenagel said.

Withers had three blocks in the fourth set, all of which turned into points.

“I get to practice against our best hitters, like Lauryn, Kamdyn (Borge), and Mya Arampatzis, who, she doesn’t play varsity, but she’s one of our best players, and just getting to practice against them,” Withers said. “That really helped me set my blocks, and confidence from the coaches telling me I got it, and that just really helps.”

In the fifth set, Burckhard had two early kills, but Jefferson answered with two of its own. The score was tied at 7-7, when Isabel Simmons took the service line for the Cavaliers and put up seven straight points, to all but finish off the match.

While the Golden Eagles came up short in their final home match of the season, there were positives to take away, including confidence of going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in AA.

“You know, I thought our kids competed really hard the whole night. I mean Jefferson’s a very good team and we really wanted to serve well. I thought we did that tonight. We hit some spots that we knew would be open defensively,” Bindenagel said. “I’m really proud of our kids, and I hope we can take that momentum, and use it next Thursday for playoffs.”

Aberdeen Central will likely travel to Spearfish for the SoDak 16. The Golden Eagles fell to the Spartans in a previous match back in September.

“Looks like we’ll be traveling to Spearfish. We went out there earlier this year and lost to them in four,” Bindenagel said. “I think, honestly, our kids will be a little excited to get a rematch.”

Official Class AA SoDak 16 pairings have yet to be finalized.

Serving: Aberdeen Central 81-87 5 aces (Taylin Kleffman 20-22 3 aces, Lauryn Burckhard 14-16 2 aces).

Hitting: Aberdeen Central 154-167 39 kills (Burckhard 54-59 15 kills, Kenadi Withers 31-31 12 kills, Kamdyn Borge 48-51 7 kills).

Setting: Aberdeen Central 162-163 37 assists (Alivia Miller 148-149 33 assists).

Digs: Aberdeen Central 81 (Kleffman 18, Withers 17, Kennedy Osborne 13, Miller 12).

Blocks: Aberdeen Central 5 solo 1 assist (Withers 2 solo 1 assist, Amelia Rife 2 solo, Karlie Nieman 1 solo).

Records: Sioux Falls Jefferson 19-4, Aberdeen Central 12-8.