RAPID CITY – It was a night of revenge for Castlewood.

The Warriors defeated the Colman-Egan Hawks 25-21, 25-20, 24-26, 25-23 during the opening round of the Class B State Volleyball Tournament at The Monument.

It was the fourth time the two Dakota Valley Conference foes have faced off this season, but the first time the Warriors had come out on top.

Castlewood coach Breanna DeKam said it took mental strength and teamwork to earn the win.

“I’ve been saying all week that it (will take) our mental strength. We have to stay focused,” DeKam said. “We lost points, four or five in a row, when we were unfocused and just got down on ourselves, so our mental strength and our teamwork (was key).”

The first two sets went Castlewood’s way, as the Warriors held the lead for much of set one after trailing 4-2 early on. In set two, Castlewood jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Colman-Egan came back to tie the score at 10-10. From there, the Warriors were able to build a small advantage and take the set, giving themselves a two-set cushion.

In the previous three meetings during the regular season, Castlewood had failed to win one set against Colman-Egan. Warriors junior middle hitter Emerson Carter said it felt good to gain a measure of revenge against the Hawks.

“It took a lot from us, but we really wanted it, and we brought it tonight,” Carter said.

DeKam said the team was motivated entering the contest.

“The girls were really determined for this one,” DeKam said. “We did a lot of preparation. We changed up our defense because we knew that that was where we struggled, and we just worked on that.”

While DeKam noted defense and serve receive helped the team get through the match, the hot hitting of Carter and Presley Knecht made a difference as well. Knecht led the Warriors with 24 kills, while Carter had 23 kills.

Knecht said keeping the offense in system played a big role.

“We had to get good passes and our passers really stepped up tonight so our setter could run me and Emerson in system a lot,” Knecht said.

Colman-Egan coach Abigail Dockter said the deficit did not bother her as the Hawks had been down two sets in a first round match in the 2021 state tournament.

“Two years ago when we were in this spot in our first game, it was kind of the same way. We lost the first two and we came back and won the last three,” Dockter said. “So, we’ve been in that boat before and so it never really gets me too nervous. But (this) one, I think there were just so many errors that we could have controlled that would have changed the game.”

After Castlewood began set three on a 7-0 run, Colman-Egan fought back to take the lead and held that lead until the teams were tied at 22-22. After a timeout, the Hawks were able to complete the set with a win.

Carter said the Warriors struggled mentally in the set.

“We kind of got down on ourselves a little bit,” Carter said. “We started off pretty iffy, but we just really had to work through the mental block after that (set), and brought it in the fourth.”

Colman-Egan led for much of set four. Trailing 21-19, Castlewood was determined to make one final move to finish the match. The Warriors closed the set on a 6-2 run, claiming a spot in the semifinal round.

DeKam said determination again played a part in winning the fourth set.

“I think it’s the season. We had lost three times this season and we really wanted it,” DeKam said. “I think it was just pure determination, because we were tired. We were very tired, but we pulled it out.”

Last year Castlewood’s opening round appearance did not end well, as the Warriors lost to Burke in five sets. Knecht said the team was determined to not have another letdown this season.

“It means so much to me to have so many different people step up this year,” Knecht said. “A lot of us haven’t ever played in that kind of game before, and I’m really proud of my teammates that really stepped up and helped us get that win. To come back and do even better than we’ve already done last year feels really good. I’m so proud of my team for doing that.”

Colman-Egan will play Faulkton in the consolation round at 12:45 this afternoon. Dockter said the team will need to shift gears and move forward.

“Coming off of that loss, it’s OK, we’ve got to move on, you’ve got to put that one behind you,” Dockter said. “We’ve got to get it figured out. We can go home with a win, still get a trophy or a plaque, but they just have to kind of regroup, get some rest, brush this one off, and then come ready to go and focus (Friday).”

Castlewood advances to the semifinals where the Warriors will take on Chester Area at 6:45 tonight. DeKam said the mental game will again be a key for the Warriors.

“We’re going to have to get mentally prepared again and find our game plan,” DeKam said, “what’s going to work for us, and how can we put a stop to them.”

Serving: Castlewood 3 aces (Gracie Haug 3); Colman-Egan 4 aces (Daniela Lee 2, Lanie Mousel 1, Kaylee Voelker 1).

Hitting: Castlewood 54 kills (Presley Knecht 24, Emerson Carter 23); Colman-Egan 49 kills (Lee 15, Brynlee Landis 15, Elaina Rhode 8).

Setting: Castlewood 50 assists (Haug 48); Colman-Egan 47 assists (Mousel 27, Voelker 19).

Digs: Castlewood 64 digs (Knecht 14, Haug 11, Karli Akin 10); Colman-Egan 71 digs (Lee 20, Presley Luze 13, Voelker 12, Mousel 11, Landis 11).

Blocks: Castlewood 3 solo 18 assists (Carter 3 solo 8 assists, Ella Hunter 4 assists, Haug 3 assists); Colman-Egan 3 solo 12 assists (Lee 1 solo 5 assists, Anna Zwart 1 solo 1 assist, Landis 1 solo, Voelker 4 assists).

Records: Castlewood 22-8; Colman-Egan 28-6.