Verrado girls volleyball coach Jamie Gordon understandably walked out of her school’s gym feeling spent after her team and Deer Valley played a five-game thriller.

Tuesday’s admirable performances from two of the top Division II teams also sapped the energy of the players during the two-hour match. Verrado won the tightly contested match 22-25, 27-25, 23-25, 25-20, 19-17, but Deer Valley also demonstrated that it’s a force to be reckoned with.   

“Deer Valley is an amazing competitor,” Gordon said. “I’m exhausted every time we play them.”

Maybe suspending Monday’s practice because of flooding in the Verrado High School area wasn’t such a bad move by Gordon after all.

Her team needed everything it had to contend to with the determined Deer Valley Skyhawks. Gordon’s top two hitters, junior Celine White and sophomore Kayla Steg, were inconsistent at times, but they came through when it mattered the most during the final two games.  

But the lack of practice time did affect Verrado early, when Verrado errors and Deer Valley’s poise helped the visiting team win the first game.

Deer Valley’s libero, senior captain Taylor Woods, was the shortest player (5-3) on the court, but her quick thinking and shot placement helped her stand out. Sophomore Ciara Merrifield doesn’t need to jump out of the gym to be effective in the middle for Deer Valley, and sophomore outside hitter Kobie Dunn’s athleticism is an ingredient that blends in well with the team.

“They played their hearts out,” said coach Jackie Wallace about her entire Deer Valley team. “I am just really proud of them.”

Verrado (13-1-1) finally hit its stride in the middle of Game 4, when it went on a 9-0 run to grab a 20-13 lead.

It was the largest lead of the match since Verrado went up 6-2 in Game 2. But, as it did throughout Tuesday’s match, Deer Valley kept fighting.

In Game 5, Verrado led 4-0 and 10-4, but Deer Valley eventually came back and actually served twice for the match.

But kills by White, Steg and senior Maitland Lonquist, who was injured during the match but kept playing, helped Verrado close out the match.