The McDermitt volleyball team celebrates after scoring the winning point against Owyhee to send them to the state tournament for the first time since 2012.
The last time the McDermitt High School volleyball team advanced to the state tournament, the seven current members were just starting kindergarten or not even in school.
The Lady Bulldogs last advance to a 1A state championship in 2010, as part of a three-year run.
McDermitt's Breena Crutcher passers the ball after receiving a Jackpot serve.
That streak ended this past Saturday at Elko High School, as McDermitt earned a trip to Reno this week and the state tournament with a second-place finish at the 1A East Regional Championship.
McDermitt opened the long day with a 25-5, 25-17, 25-16 win over Jackpot and later in the day beat Owyhee 26-24, 25-17, 25-19 to punch the ticket to state.
The Lady Bulldogs (17-6) were right back on the floor for the championship match and lost in three sets to Eureka 25-18, 25-13, 25-23.
McDermitt def. Jackpot
McDermitt scored seven of the first eight points of the first set, behind two aces and a kill from Vina Tom and kills from Breena Crutcher and Reign Crutcher.
Leading 9-4, the Lady Bulldogs scored the next 12 points off three kills by Nicolette Northup and two aces by Reign Crutcher.
Jackpot turned the tables on McDermitt in the second set, leading 10-5 and forcing the Lady Bulldogs to call a timeout.
Out of the break, McDermitt scored the next six points, including an ace from Taylor Killsback and kills from Alexis Scott and Tom. The Lady Bulldogs did not trail again and cruised to the set win, capped off by a tip from Tom.
Four aces from McDermitt, including three from Scott, allowed the Lady Bulldogs to lead 13-4 and they never looked back.
Alexis Scott sets the ball for a teammate against Jackpot at the 1A East Regional Tournament.
McDermitt def. Owyhee
McDermitt faced its first adversity of the tournament, trailing 10-2 to Owyhee in the first set of the semifinals. The Braves led 16-10 midway through the set, when the Lady Bulldogs began their comeback.
McDermitt closed the gap to 17-15, following an ace by Tom, only to see Owyhee have set point at 24-18.
A kill by Tom closed the gap to 24-20 and the Lady Bulldogs scored the next four points, capped off by a tip from Northrup. McDermitt finished off the improbable comeback with an ace to close out the set.
The second set was tied at 7, 10, 12, and 17, when the Lady Bulldogs scored the final eight points to lead 2-1.
McDermitt jumped out to a 10-2 advantage in the third set and never trailed. Owyhee closed the gap to 13-11 and 17-16, but McDermitt regrouped to earn the trip to Reno.
McDermitt's Nicolette Northrup goes up for a kill against Owyhee.
Eureka def. McDermitt
Eureka and McDermitt were the top two teams in the league all season, with the teams splitting the regular season games on each other’s home floor.
McDermitt used the momentum from the Owyhee win to lead 5-1 in the open the championship match.
An ace from Reign Crutcher kept the lead at 14-11, when Eureka bounced back with a 9-2 run to go in front 20-16 and the Vandals closed out the set.
Eureka dominated the second set, leading 9-3 in the early going and went on to the comfortable victory. The Vandals scored the first six points of the third set and looked to be on cruise control leading 8-3.
However, the Lady Bulldogs stormed back to the set at 10, when Eureka used a 9-2 run to go back in front 19-12. McDermitt had one last run left and tied the set at 20 and trailed 24-23, when Eureka scored the winning point.
McDermitt takes on Round Mountain in the opening round of the state tournament at 6:30 p.m. at North Valleys High School in Reno.
In the other match in the top of the bracket, Smith Valley plays Liberty Baptist at 3:30 p.m. The two winners play at 1 p.m. on Friday at the Virginia Street Gym on the Nevada campus.
Eureka and Tonopah play at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Coleville and Pahranagat Valley face each other at 5 p.m.
The two winners play at 2:40 p.m. on Friday, The championship is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday.