Mandy Jones beamed with pride after her South Whidbey volleyball team lost 3-2 to King’s on Tuesday.

It was the first time the Falcons had pushed the Lady Knights to five sets that Jones, herself a Falcon player years ago, could ever remember. It was certainly the first time in her decade as a coach. In the end, King’s relied on its top hitters, senior Savanna Hanson (17 kills, two aces) and junior Sydney Gaenz (15 kills, four aces), to close the match. King’s won 25-18, 25-14, 22-25, 24-26, 15-12.

“We took them to five games,” said Falcon sophomore Kacie Hanson. “That never happens.”

Despite a poor second set, Jones credited her team’s success to players choosing to swing for kills rather than tipping past the Lady Knights’ tall hitters.

“Being aggressive,” Jones said. “We need to be more aggressive in our hitting.”

Later, she added that against a team as talented as King’s, which made the 1A state tournament last year, “You have to swing away.”

For the first three sets, South Whidbey’s rotation varied. The Falcons started with junior setter Katherine Read and junior hitter Maryn Patterson to accompany regular starters Sara Bryant, the team’s libero, and senior hitters Abby Hodson and Anne Madsen. That seemed to work, but not well enough as King’s broke from a 10-10 tie.

King’s took advantage of the lead and roared to a quick 8-4 lead before Jones called a time out. Hanson found her stride amid South Whidbey’s second-set struggles, when she recorded two of her seven kills.

“We started and ended as completely different teams,” Hanson said. “We grew and accomplished so much. We needed that.”

“It showed today that we’re getting better and improving. Look out for us.”

Hanson and the Falcons came to life in the make-or-break third set. King’s rotated in some different players to spell the starters, and South Whidbey seized its opportunity after an 8-8 tie. Chloe Huffman, a Falcon senior, helped jump start the Falcons’ offense with a serving ace, followed by a Madsen kill (she finished with team highs of nine kills and six aces, to go with 16 digs). After a Lady Knights’ error, King’s coach Jeff Fransen called timeout. Errors and mis-hits continued to plague King’s as South Whidbey rolled to a seven-point deficit.

Trailing 20-13, Fransen called another timeout. The Lady Knights charged back, making it appear that they would leave Erickson Gym with a not-so-clean but intact sweep.

Gaenz recorded a pair of aces to bring King’s within reach at 23-18, but South Whidbey held on to win and extend the match.

“We need girls who work well together and who are going to fight,” Kacie Hanson said of the lineup and position changes, herself moving from right side hitter to defensive specialist to middle.

The fourth set stayed close throughout, with neither team gaining much of a lead. South Whidbey was poised to run away from a 17-14 lead after back-to-back Megan Drake and Madsen kills. Another well-timed timeout got King’s to an 18-18 tie and then a 21-18 lead. But Hanson led the charge for South Whidbey, scoring four points including the set-winning ace.

South Whidbey opened the fifth set on a roll. The Falcons scored four straight points, including an ace by junior setter Marina Alber, a Hanson kill, and a kill and a block by Drake.

King’s fought to a 6-6 tie, lost the lead, then regrouped to an 11-11 tie. The Lady Knights, led by Hanson, jumped to a 13-11 lead. Jones called a timeout, which then led to an Alber tip kill. But two errors by the Falcons handed the Lady Knights the victory.

After the match, several Falcons were visibly upset — arms crossed, tears, heads down. But Jones told them they played well and would need to remember that being aggressive instead of playing timid would pay off.

“I’m excited for the next time we play them,” Kacie Hanson said. “I can’t wait.”

Before the match began, King’s coach Jeff Fransen spoke about last year’s state tournament which included both the Lady Knights and the Falcons. He thanked the Falcons for sticking around after they were eliminated and rooting them on. The Lady Knights gave the Falcons a large printed photo of the two squads together at the Yakima Sundome.

“We were really excited that they weren’t there just to watch, but to cheer,” he told the crowd. “It really lifted up our spirits.”

On Thursday, South Whidbey lost a two-set lead and fell to Cedarcrest in Duvall. The Red Wolves pulled off the comeback victory 22-25, 25-27, 25-22, 25-13, 15-9. Madsen recorded 15 kills and two aces to go along with 17 digs.