With more than half the roster playing their final match at Lancaster Gym, Dixon was riding a roller coaster of emotions Tuesday night.

After pulling away in the first set and scuffling in the second, the Duchesses came out with fire in their eyes in the third and rolled to a 25-18, 22-25, 25-8 victory over Byron to remain undefeated in Big Northern Conference play.

“We knew what was at stake, and we all just really wanted it,” senior Leah Carlson said. “That last set, we all did it for each other, for everyone on the team. We knew, especially us seniors out there together, that we wanted this final win at home. We’re all really close, really good friends on and off the court, and we just got it done for each other.”

“We didn’t want to lose on Senior Night, and we’re playing to stay on top in conference, so there were a bunch of different emotions tonight,” classmate Morgan Hargrave added.

All eight seniors contributed in the win. Carlson stuffed the stat sheet with 16 kills, 17 assists, three digs, two aces and a block; Hargrave finished with six kills, six digs and eight points; Izzy Queckboerner spiked eight kills; libero Yui Santos had a team-high seven digs; and Presley Lappin dished 21 assists and served 15 points.

Sophomore Rayven Mowery came up big as well, as her kill gave Dixon (20-7, 7-0 BNC) a lead it wouldn’t relinquish in the opener before spiking four kills in a six-point stretch midway through the third.

“It’s nerve-wracking. I know that this was a big game for all of us, but especially the seniors, and I was very nervous to do my part to help them win,” said Mowery, who finished with 10 kills, five digs and a block. “We fed off each other a lot, and I’m just so glad we could all come together and win this match.

“It means a lot.”

After Dixon pulled away down the stretch in the first set, Byron (14-10, 5-2 BNC) battled back in the second. Courtney Linhart served five straight points to start, and every time the Duchesses fought back to tie it up – they did so six times – they committed an error on the next point as the Tigers stayed in front.

Seven of Byron’s 13 kills in the match came in the second set, and the Tigers also took advantage of seven Dixon hitting errors and three service errors to force a third set.

“That was really how we usually play. We’re always hustling, always trying to better ourselves, and that second game showed who we are,” Linhart said. “Dixon played amazing, they were determined to win tonight; they’re a great team, and they just came out better in that last set. We’ll just take this match as a lesson of pushing ourselves to get better.”

Dixon opened the third set with two Carlson kills and two Queckboerner kills, then Lappin reeled off 11 straight points – with Mowery’s run of kills coming in that surge – and dumped her own kill on the second touch to cap the run for an 18-4 lead.

“We just really focused on fixing what we were doing wrong in that second set, really just cleaning up our volleyball, not giving them so many points with our errors and playing more together,” Lappin said. “Our passers really cleaned it up. Me and Leah really were able to connect with our hitters more, and our hitters were able to execute. I think we all came together in that third set and really honed in on what we needed to do to win.”

“We knew that second set wasn’t us, so we just wanted to come out as strong as possible, stay composed and play our game [in the third],” Hargrave added.

Senior defensive specialist Micki Worrell (four digs) came into the front row and spiked a kill – setting off a huge celebration among her teammates – and classmate Solis Thompson (six points, six digs, two kills) ripped a kill in the waning moments.

The final point also provided a milestone for Hargrave, as the four-year varsity starter notched her 1,000th career dig.

“That’s absolutely insane,” Hargrave said. “Playing for four years, starting with my older sister [as a freshman] and through all of my teammates, it’s just been so much fun. Trying to wrap my mind around it, it’s something special for sure, and I’ll always remember it.”

Hannah Gentz (two aces, one block), Molly Wheeler (two blocks) and Brooklyn Kilduff (one block, one ace) each spiked three kills for Byron, and Linhart finished with 10 assists, eight points, two aces and two kills.