After taking a two-set lead, Gowanda held off a Cattaraugus-Little Valley rally to move atop the division standings in a five-set thriller 25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 21-25, 15-11.

“That was definitely tough,” Gowanda head coach Brenda Gernatt said about the match. “We were ahead, then we fell behind. I kept telling the girls they have to take the momentum back on our side, because we’re in their house. It’s not going to be an easy win taking that fifth game from them, but we’ve got to do our best to get the momentum on our side and our girls did a nice job.”

In the final two sets, neither side seized the lead early and it was the first to string together a short run of three to secure the win. Gowanda’s goal was to win the race to eight in the fifth set and that happened as the Panthers scored three straight for a 9-6 lead, which triggered a timeout by the Timberwolves.

“We told them we’ve got to get to eight,” Gernatt said about the mindset of the final set. “We’ve got to get to eight and be on top. Taking the lead on the final game there, we said to start out strong and to never look back.”

OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Gowanda’s Lilliana Pierce spikes the ball over the net as Cattaraugus-Little Valley’s Abby Terhune attempts a block during Wednesday’s CCAA Division 2 volleyball match in Cattaraugus.

Cattaraugus-Little Valley stayed within striking distance in the final set, but Gowanda scored the final four points to post the big road victory, a second season in a row after splitting last year.

In each set, the Panthers showed their height defending the net in the middle as Corrina John, Envy Cross and Lilly Pierce posted big games.

“They’re an awesome group of girls,” Gernatt said about her team. “It’s awesome because I have height this year. I’ve got girls that one minute they can play middle, they can play outside and the team is a close-knit team. I feel it’s a very special group of girls this year.”

John scored 18 kills and three blocks; Cross provided 10 kills and four blocks; and Pierce also scored 10 kills. Setting up a majority of the offense was Bella Maines with 37 assists and three digs while Addison Kota made six digs.

It looked like Gowanda would take the match in a sweep, but Cattaraugus-Little Valley had other plans as it began stringing together points better, jumping to an early 11-6 lead.

Gowanda settled back in and made it close toward the end of the set, but the damage had already been done and the Timberwolves knew they could keep the match going.

“It felt good,” Cattaraugus-Little Valley head coach Kim Jones said about her team’s performance. “We’ve had pretty much the same team the last four years. A couple of years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to do that, I felt like they kept their composure pretty well and stayed in it.”

The victory not only breathed life into the Timberwolves team, but the crowd became more voracious with the hopes of a comeback.

“I told the girls to have fun,” Jones told her team before the third set. “I think they were getting a little too in their heads that first two sets. Getting a little nervous, making silly mistakes. I was like ‘we all love this game, have fun with it.'”

Gowanda did not make it easy for the Timberwolves, but they began pulling away in the fourth set with a run of three and then four to go up 16-12.

While the Panthers gave Cattaraugus-Little Valley fits with John, Cross and Pierce, the Timberwolves flexed their offense as Maddie Shattuck set passes for Carly and Riley Preston and Abby Terhune.

“They have a good relationship on and off the court, which I think makes a huge difference,” Jones said about her team. “There is a lot of team bonding that happens off the court, that’s made a huge impact. It kind of sets us apart a little bit that they all get along really well.”

The Timberwolves (7-1, 5-1) brought the match level on a Kylie Unruh ace in the fourth set, but despite losing its lead in dramatic fashion on the road, Gowanda (7-0, 6-0) still managed to escape with the road victory and stay undefeated.

“It’s going to be a battle between our two schools every time we play each other,” Gernatt added.

While the Timberwolves came up short, it still feels like a win in many ways for Jones and her team.

“I’m excited to play teams to that level,” Jones said about her team. “We knew it was going to be a hard game. It’s fun to see both teams have a large following in close games like this. … Like I said, it was a loss, but it feels like a win. They played good and I’m happy.”