Thomas Jefferson and Decatur put together some good back-and-forth rallies during the Raiders’ 3-0 volleyball win at the Gators’ home floor Tuesday.

“It was a tough match,” said Raiders coach Megan Melver.

Decatur keeps trying for a first league win (0-4 SPSL South and 1-8 overall) while TJ recorded its fifth win of the season (5-3 overall and 1-3 SPSL North).

The Gators played stronger much of the first game before the Raiders rallied, then game two was a wipeout for the Raiders. Game three again was anybody's and the Gators won it, withstanding a Raiders’ charge in the last bit of play.

Then game four was back-and-forth and just when the Raiders looked like they had it won with a 24-21 lead the Gators tied it at 24-24. And then the Raiders still won it, 26-24.

TJ led game one, 6-5, before the Gators rallied for 10 of the next 14 points to lead, 15-9, with a spike and kill from Taylor Aimalefoa.

Melver took a time out. Still, the Gators kept the lead going, 19-14, with what looked like a pivotal block by Audri Mooth to bring the game to that score. But the Raiders charged on, getting the next five straight points to tie it at 19-19.

The Raiders rolled to the win then, with the game point a nice dig by Kencra Ansotigue followed by a bump over the net by Allie Crow into open space.

A nice comeback, withstanding the Gators’ early and middle charge, to take the end game points.

"We did a good job there. The girls began moving the ball around and calling for it," said Melver.

Also, Crow served a couple aces at the 23-22 and 24-22 scores that were psychologically huge for her team.

Game two was all Raiders, jumping to a 20-9 lead and ending it on a blistering kill from Katelyn Nugent, 25-10.

However, game three would be the Gators’ one to get a victory. It was 4-3, Raiders early, then 12-6 Raiders. Then

Ansotigue got a kill that made it 13-7. But the Gators rallied with the combination of Charisma Toilolo, Christina Sessoms, Ciandra Smith and Autumn Hopkins-Clayton going together from the time TJ led 17-16 to the time the Gators took a 20-19 lead. It was a Sessoms kill to win it in this one, 25-23.

The next game, game four, was close, too. Good hitting and rallying by both sides with a good block by Chelsa Leae of the Gators that gave her team a 19-13 lead, including two Sessoms kills in that stretch.

But that 20th point did not want to come for the Gators.

The Raiders came back, as aforementioned, to lead, 24-21, behind the powerful play of Crow serving a couple more aces, Nugent knocking down three more kills and Ansotigue getting in on the act, too.

The Gators rallied to try to make the match come down to a deciding game five. But, no, the Taylor Aimalefoa kill that made it closer, 24-22, and the Toilolo kill following made it 24-23 TJ.

Then, with the score 24-24 on a nice Lorena Lopez dig and kill by Mooth was met with a Nugent blast and a block at the net to end things.

The Gators gave their non-league rival a run for their money with games going the Raiders’ way, 3-1, but the rhythm certainly changed beats in game three won by the Gators.

"They rose to the occasion," said Gators' coach Angela Hargett. "When they made mistakes, they were able to bounce back."

Hargett mentioned Lorena Lopez as a player doing a good job getting digs, and Toilolo for her play running the ball down.

Hargett sees this young team just getting better for the future.

"Games like that will become a part of the trend," said Hargett, who is trying to start up a volleyball club in the Twin Lakes area of Federal Way.

"There was a good communication between players in game three," said Hargett. "It took every individual playing their best. Still young, but we are showing a lot of character by trying to come back (from two games down)."

But on this day the Raiders were just able to weather the storm and play better in the end games.

Melver's team communicated well, too.

"I would say as a team we did a good job of talking, moving, taking care of the off-tempo balls and it got us into a rhythm," said Melver.

The “traditional” shots, like pass, set, spike, were not the way the Raiders won this as Melver pointed out. Her team did it with hustle and grit and being in the right place at the right time.

"Tips and roll-over shots (over the net)," said Melver.

The Gators nearly came back on you in game three to steal momentum and game four was close to being their win just as much as it was yours?

"We went back to basics, to our base defense," said Melver. "To make sure we were covering shots they were throwing at us."

The Raiders’ season is more than half through and for them to make the playoffs some wins are needed in the second half. They beat Kent-Meridian and Federal Way for their wins but have lost to Tahoma, 3-0, which was a team that K-M lost to, too. So win that one, maybe pick up some other win along the way with good hard gritty play and the playoffs could be the Raiders’ destination.

Melver made it sound like more wins than that are needed.

"We sweep and you never know," said Melver.

Time will tell the story on that one and if the Raiders’ weapons all can gel together more then who knows what happens in the end.