In a scene reminiscent of a postseason atmosphere, Lancaster Gym was rocking Thursday night.

With Dixon and Newman locked in a fierce back-and-forth battle of scrappy defenses and opportunistic offenses, the Duchesses used late surges to pull out a 25-22, 23-25, 25-17 victory over the Comets.

“Oh my gosh, that was one of the highest-energy games that we’ve had in this gym,” Dixon senior Leah Carlson said. “The energy from Newman and from us, put it together and it was the best. They were battling, and we were battling, everybody was really into it, and it was cool to see.”

“It was definitely kind of nerve-wracking,” Newman sophomore Bella Lanning said. “Everybody’s screaming on every point, there’s all these chants going on, but I think it kept us up and made it more fun. I think it’s better for it to be loud than silent. It was pretty fun.”

Dixon (13-2) showed its veteran poise down the stretch. The Duchesses scored five of the last six points in the first set to rally from a 21-20 deficit, then scored nine of the final 10 in the third set to pull away from a 16-16 tie.

“We call it our red zone,” Carlson said. “It’s when, no matter what, you put a ball in the court, place it on offense where it needs to be, don’t try to just hit away at any spot, just be smart with it and be very intentional with what you’re doing.”

“It’s because we’ve been playing together for so long that we can look at each other and know what we have to do,” senior Morgan Hargrave added. “We talk in the huddle about knowing our jobs and just doing our jobs, just taking a deep breath and playing our volleyball.”

Newman (6-12) showed its mettle early, using a 9-1 run to turn an 8-3 deficit into a 12-9 lead in the first set. In the second set, the Comets took control with runs of 6-1, 5-2 and 4-1 to build a 24-20 lead.

“I think when the first set ended, we came back and talked and said we just had to keep our energy up and do the best we can. Then we went out there and did that, and we won that [second] set,” Lanning said.

“I think we were doing really good with our energy, and our hitting was on. I think our setter had really good sets, and we were covering really well, and our defense was strong. Everything was going together pretty well.”

Besides those runs, the teams were even the rest of the match. There were several long stretches where they traded points, and stringing consecutive points together was difficult because both back rows were flying and diving all over the court to keep points alive.

“Our back row was doing so many good things, just really scrappy and diving everywhere and getting to everything. They were just really, really good, and I was really proud of them for that,” Newman sophomore Ruby Burger said. “I feel like our communication was really good, and our connection was just so good. Everyone was really excited and hyped the whole time.”

“Newman had a very good defense, and they never gave up on a point,” Carlson said. “We went up and down a little bit, but for the most part kept a consistent defense, so we were able to get the ball up where we needed to.”

Carlson finished with 17 assists, 11 digs, six kills, two blocks and three aces, and Hargrave had eight kills, 10 digs and three aces for Dixon. Izzy Queckboerner smacked six kills, Solis Thompson and Abby Hicks each had three kills, and Presley Lappin added 11 assists and six digs. Micki Worrell (12 digs, two aces) and Yui Santos (six digs) led the back row.

“We definitely needed to play together in that third set; we wanted to run with that energy that we built up in the first set that we kind of let down in the second,” Hargrave said. “It was all about coming together, playing our volleyball, and each of us knowing our role and doing it to the best of our ability.

“I’m really proud of us for coming back and taking control of that third set and finishing strong.”

Lanning and Burger each spiked six kills, with Lanning adding five digs and Burger stuffing a block for Newman. Lauren McClain and Kennedi Shippert each had four kills and a block, and Gisselle Martin added three kills and four digs. Brooklyn Smith dished 23 assists, and Lucy Oetting (11 digs) and Amaya Gomez (eight digs) led the back row.

“Dixon’s a really good team, and tonight I feel like we really showed ourselves. None of us are disappointed in how we played, and we know we were right there in it and could have won,” Burger said. “I definitely think this will build some confidence and kind of boost us throughout the rest of the season.”