HESSTON, Kan. — The Hesston College volleyball team secured a thrilling five-set victory over Spurgeon College Tuesday night at Yost Center, rallying for a 3-2 win by scores of 25-16, 21-25, 22-25, 25-18, 17-15. The Larks battled through 30 ties and 10 lead changes in a match that came down to the final points.

Hesston controlled the opening set, hitting .286 with eight kills to take a 25-16 victory. Spurgeon answered by winning the next two sets, 25-21 and 25-22, putting the Larks in a 2-1 hole. Hesston responded emphatically in the fourth set, overcoming an early deficit and using a late 9-1 run to turn a 14-13 advantage into a 23-16 lead before closing out the set 25-18.

The decisive fifth set was a back-and-forth battle from the start. Hesston built an early 4-1 advantage and later led 13-9 before Spurgeon rallied to tie the set at 14-14. After the teams traded points to reach 15-15, Hesston scored the final two points to secure the 17-15 victory and the match.

Trinity Griffin led the Larks with 15 kills and 20 digs, while Jacee Ray added 12 kills and five total blocks. Lydia Foster contributed nine kills, and Layla Romero also finished with nine kills. Delayna Kerry orchestrated the offense with 30 assists and added three total blocks, while libero Bethanie Haag recorded a team-high 24 digs.

As a team, Hesston recorded 57 kills, seven service aces and nine total blocks while hitting .142 for the match. The Larks showed their resilience throughout the five-set battle, particularly in the fourth and fifth sets, to earn the season-opening victory.

Hesston returns to action Friday and Saturday (8/28-8/29) at the Central Christian Classic in McPherson, Kan.