SCL VOLLEYBALL: TIGERS GET BY GAUCHOS: VANWEELE'S 15 KILLS, TOUGH TEAM DEFENSELEAD ANALY IN FIVE-SET THRILLERIN KEY LEAGUE MATCHUP

Analy and Casa Grande's girls volleyball teams entered Tuesday's match fighting to stay alive in the hunt for the Sonoma County League title.

Led by sophomore Maggie VanWeele's 15 kills, the Tigers beat the Gauchos in a five-set thriller, 27-25, 21-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-6, solidifying its footing near the top of the SCL standings.

"This could give us a shot at the title with Petaluma," said Analy head coach Holly Folendorf after the match.

With the emotions of Casa Grande's senior night in the air, the first set went down to the wire. Both teams traded points throughout the game, with the set going to a tiebreaker before Analy prevailed, 27-25.

Casa Grande rallied for a hard-fought 25-21 win in the second set to even the match.

In a crucial third set, Analy used a strong defensive effort to pull out the 26-24 win to go ahead two games to one. The Gauchos overcame the 2-1 deficit on their own court, storming to a competitive 25-19 win in the fourth set.

In the fifth and final set, led by 32 digs by Megan Winters and a strong defensive performance, Analy won the set 15-6.

Casa Grande coach Jillian Forni lamented her team's mistakes in the final set.

"Analy had a tough defense," she said, "but the errors in the fifth set killed us."

Casa Grande was led by 6-foot-8 junior Ashley Harris, who had 17 kills.