TRIMONT – The Mankato Loyola Crusaders rallied from a 2-1 game deficit to extend the volleyball match against the Martin County West Mavericks.

The Crusaders then built a lead in the fifth game that the Mavericks couldn’t recover from, allowing the Crusaders a 25-16, 16-25, 27-29, 25-17, 15-6 Valley Conference win over the Mavericks Thursday night.

Crusaders senior middle hitter Lindsey Theuninck notched two kills as the Crusaders took a 4-0 lead to start the fifth set. Rielle Gosch netted her serve to give the ball to the Mavericks, but the Crusaders got it right back on a Mavericks error. Gosch and junior middle hitter Megan Mettler connected for two back-to-back kills before Gosch doled out an assist to Theuninck.

The Crusaders built a 12-point lead before Gosch was short on a serve. The Mavericks used that to go on a 5-0 run for a 16-6 deficit, but the Crusaders got the last two points after senior middle hitter Cara Behrends netted her serve and the Mavericks mishandled a return.

“Knowing that when you’re in a tight situation like that or you’re in game five, your job is to not be tentative. You’ve got to get the job done,” Mavericks head coach Kayla Traetow said. “When you’re in game five, there’s no holding back; the job’s gotta get done.”

The Crusaders started out with a Game 1 victory. After being down 3-0, Theuninck made good on a Gosch assist for the sideout kill. Gosch then served the visitors to nine consecutive points before Mavericks junior setter Maia Taylor set up junior outside hitter Emma Behrends for the sideout.

The Mavericks inched within six, but the Crusaders did enough to pull out the 25-16 victory.

The Mavericks then reversed the score in the second game. The team jumped out to an 8-3 lead. Gosch and Theuninck connected on two more kills to get the Crusaders to a 12-8 deficit, but Taylor linked with junior outside hitter Renae Eckmann to start a 4-0 Mavericks run.

The Crusaders started with a run of their own that ended on a Crusaders error. Taylor’s final assist of Game 2 went to sophomore Karlee Thiesse, who knocked down the kill to tie the match, 1-1.

The Mavericks and Crusaders went back-and-forth in the beginning of the third game with neither team generating a lead greater than three.

At one point, the Mavericks held an 11-8 lead. Mettler’s sideout spike, with the assist from Gosch, started the Crusaders on a run that tied the game 11-all.

The Crusaders got out to a 17-14 advantage, and the Mavericks answered back with a 5-0 run that included two kills from Eckmann.

“In this situation, every point counts, every point matters,” Traetow said. “If they get three points, that’s a big swing and we have to get it down to two or one and try to keep the ball in our court as long as we can.”

Neither team could hold onto the lead, though, tying six times before the Crusaders committed a serving and hitting error that gave the home team the 29-27 hard-fought win.

With the chance to end the match in the fourth game, the Mavericks fell behind, 10-5. Sophomore setter Cheyenne Owens faked an assist and flipped the ball over the net for a sideout kill. On the next rally, the ball slipped off Owens’ fingers and the Crusaders got it right back.

The Crusaders finished the game on a 3-0 run with the help of two Theuninck kills.

Theuninck finished with a game-high 25 kills, while Mettler chipped in 10 kills and three blocks, and Gosch contributed 27 assists.

Thiesse and Eckmann each recorded seven kills and Cara Behrends ended with three. Madison Klima notched a team-best 21 digs with four serving aces, Owens had six assists and Taylor completed a team-leading 17 set assists with four kills.

Mankato Loyola (5-4, 2-0 Valley) hosts Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Martin County West (3-2, 1-2) plays in the Wabasso Tournament, starting with Redwood Valley at 9 a.m. Saturday.