RAPID CITY – The match hung precariously in the balance before Colman-Egan managed to secure the coveted match point on Friday afternoon.

The Hawks, who fought off five match points, edged Faulkton 12-25, 18-25, 25-10, 25-23, 19-17 in the consolation round of the Class B State Volleyball Tournament at The Monument.

The fifth set had several momentum swings. Faulkton took the momentum first, jumping out to a 6-2 lead. However, Colman-Egan responded with the next four points to even the score.

Faulkton then built another four-point lead at 14-10, but once again, Colman-Egan evened the score, sending the final set to extra points before eventually grabbing the victory.

“It was just very back-and-forth,” said Faulkton coach Mallory Schlechter. “You go up 14-10, you feel a little more comfortable and then they just inch their way back in. At that point, it was just any little thing that happened was going to probably turn the momentum.”

Every point counted as the teams traded match points. Colman-Egan coach Abigail Dockter reminded her team to be confident despite putting being in a hole on several occasions in the set.

“I’m just like girls, you have to be smart, you have to be confident, you have to serve aggressive, but you have to be smart,” Dockter said. “Just kind of moving and knowing their tendency and when they were going to go, and they did great with it.”

Faulkton had raced out to a two-set lead, thanks to strong hitting from Carley Cotton and Addison Melius.

Melius said the goal was to come out strong early in the match.

“We talked about coming out strong right away and that’s what we did,” Melius said. “Kind of caught (Colman-Egan) off of their toes, but they came back and they battled to five.”

Schlechter said the hot hitting gave the Trojans the edge early on.

“I think that was our advantage,” Schlechter said. “We were just swinging at them and taking a lot away and giving ourselves a lot of momentum.”

Dockter said her team was not playing to its potential during the first two sets.

“I told them, I was like girls, this is not you at all. This is not how we play. We’re not awake, we have no energy, we’re not with each other or anything like that,” Dockter said.

The match changed in the third set when the mindset of the Hawks changed.

“We say it a lot like who wants it more?” Dockter said. “If you want it more, you can have it. You have to show up and do it.”

Meanwhile, Faulkton was struggling to regain the momentum it had in the first two sets.

“I mean momentum is a huge thing and when you have it, you’re on a roll and when you don’t, it’s just hard to kind of get going again,” Melius said.

Colman-Egan took set three by building a convincing lead, then fought tooth and nail to hold off Faulkton in set four. Schlechter said the Trojans were not as aggressive as they were in the first two sets.

“We kind of just started tipping and rolling and not being quite as aggressive,” Schlechter said, “and it was to our disadvantage.”

Melius led the Trojans with 22 kills and 18 digs, while Cotton finished with 21 kills and 19 digs.

Despite the loss, Melius is glad to be playing in the state tournament.

“It’s awesome,” Melius said. “This is the goal. Being here is the goal and, I mean, just living up every set and every game here is awesome. Surreal.”

Colman-Egan will play fifth place today at 12:45 p.m. against Wolsey-Wessington. Dockter is hoping her team does not have a repeat performance against the Warbirds.

“I think we have to show up at the beginning, not take a couple of sets off,” Dockter said. “Just kind of get prepared, figure out where their weaknesses are and their strengths, kind of how they cover the floor, and who their strong hitters are and where they like to go, so that we can make sure that we’re in the right spots.”

Faulkton will take on Gayville-Volin in the seventh-place match at 11 a.m.

Schlechter said the message is simple in the last match of the season.

“We just can’t fall flat on our energy or our effort,” Schlechter said, “so that’s what we’re going to focus on, and it’ll hopefully carry us through.”

Serving: Faulkton 6 aces (Carley Cotton 2, Micah Martinmaas 2, Tegan Baloun 1, Kelli Stoecker 1); Colman-Egan 6 aces (Anna Zwart 1, Elaina Rhode 1, Brynlee Landis 1, Lanie Mousel 1, Daniela Lee 1, Presley Luze 1).

Hitting: Faulkton 56 kills (Addison Melius 22, Cotton 21, Jaymi Senn 6); Colman-Egan 53 kills (Landis 21, Lee 13, Zwart 8, Rhode 7).

Setting: Faulkton 54 assists (Baloun 27, Micah Martinmaas 22); Colman-Egan 52 assists (Kaylee Voelker 19, Mousel 17).

Digs: Faulkton 88 digs (Cotton 19, Melius 18, Baloun 17, Anna Aesoph 14); Colman-Egan 126 digs (Lee 32, Luze 28, Landis 24, Voelker 16, Rhode 13, Mousel 11).

Blocks: Faulkton 1 solo 14 assists (Senn 1 solo 3 assists, Stoecker 4 assists, Aedyn Raethz 4 assists).

Records: Faulkton 24-11; Colman-Egan 29-6.