With Roosevelt ahead by a set and leading the second 19-15, Taryn Kirsch stepped back to serve for Washington.
It was a familiar setting for the Illinois commit. It was only a year ago that Kirsch and her serves helped lead Washington to a come from behind state tournament win against Jefferson. This quarterfinal matchup against Roosevelt followed a similar script. The Warriors rattled off nine consecutive points before the Rough Riders were able to score a point. Washington ended up winning that set and went on to defeat Roosevelt 3-2 to advance to the state semifinal.
"If she doesn't go back and do that, I don't know if we win in five," Washington volleyball coach Kelly Schroeder said. "We might lose in three. We needed that spark."
Kirsch finished the match with six aces but her impact went far beyond that second set stretch. The senior libero also had six assists, was everywhere defensively, and was a clear leader on the floor. After each dropped or scored point Kirsch was the first to rally her teammates and inject inspiration.
"I kind of got after the other girls (earlier in the season), because I'm like, all I hear is Taryn (Kirsch). Everybody else needs to talk and bring the energy," Schroeder said. "Taryn (Kirsch) does that every single play ... She covers two thirds of the floor for us and picks everything up. So she's definitely stepped up, not only as a leader defensively with her play, but just a vocal leader for us on the team."
Kirsch led the match in digs with 30. Offensively Kaelyn Snoozy finished with a match-high 22 kills. Cate Legel had the second most kills on the squad with 19. Emily Akkerman led the match in assists with 41.
The win over Roosevelt marked the third time the Warriors have defeated the Rough Riders this season. Each of those wins came down to five sets.
"We have to cherish this win tonight," Schroeder said. "It's tough to beat a team three times in a year.
"We'll think about this win. (Then) we have to move on. We have to get some sleep. We're going to be emotionally drained a little bit now going into the rest of the tournament. So we have to rest, recover, recoup, and then we have to come, ready, fired up, ready to go tomorrow night."
Washington will face Jefferson in the AA semifinals on Friday at 6:45 p.m.