The ebbs and flows of a volleyball match were on full display Thursday night in Washington, as the Demons battled back to topple Mount Pleasant in a nail biting five sets.

The Southeast Conference opener didn’t start out as planned for the Demons, as they fell 25-20 in set one. Washington was not fazed however, winning the second and third set by matching 25-23 scores including coming back from a 7-1 deficit in the third. The Panthers forced a deciding fifth set with a dominant 25-10 effort in the fourth, but Washington had the last laugh with a 15-11 victory in the fifth after trailing 6-1. Head Coach Lexa Mahr tells KCII Sports her team never gave in. “They were not going to let the ball hit the ground tonight. The girls kept saying we want a conference win and it would be even better when it’s Mount Pleasant. The fight out of them tonight especially in that fifth set was incredible.” Addison Six led the charge with 11 kills and Olivia Pacha had nine. Kaitlyn Mitchell had 21 digs and sister Alexa was successful on all 18 serves including two aces.

The Demons move to 3-6 on the season and 1-0 in the conference. They travel to Anamosa tomorrow for a tournament.