Midway through the volleyball match Thursday, a fire alarm blared in the Columbia River High School gym.
There were no flames. A young child had gotten his hands on the alarm.
But the match between Ridgefield and River was already heating up.
Columbia River beat Ridgefield in five sets, handing the Spudders their first loss of the season.
Abby Wilmington’s game-high 22nd kill gave River a 15-13 victory in the fifth set.
That ended a roller-coaster match that saw the Chieftains win the first two sets 25-14 and 25-23 only to have Ridgefield take the next two 25-23 and 25-21.
And the wild chase for the 2A Greater St. Helens League title is far from over. River pulled even with Ridgefield atop the league at 6-1.
Having beat River in five sets on Sept. 13, a Ridgefield win would have given the Spudders a two-match lead with five to play.
“Ridgefield is always good competition for us,” Wilmington said. “They really push us. But the difference was that we were really trusting each other. We were putting everything together that we’ve been working on.”
River and Ridgefield both have lofty goals this season. The Spudders have nearly everyone back from a team that placed third in the state. River placed second at last year’s Class 3A tournament, but needed to replace three leaders who are now playing college volleyball.
Wilmington and setter Lily Freshwater have stepped up as senior leaders.
“Both of them, when they’re on the court they elevate the play of everyone else,” River coach Breanne Smedley said. “They do an amazing job of lifting everybody up in their actions, not necessarily in what they say, but in how they treat their teammates.”
Thursday the two combined for 13 blocks and Freshwater had 40 assists. Senior Charlie Sperry added 18 kills and 13 digs.
“We were definitely very fortunate with the girls that have stepped in,” Freshwater said. “We’ve learned a lot as leaders from the previous leaders last year.”
The Spudders spent last weekend in Arizona, going 7-0 at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix.
In beating a variety of teams, many from schools larger than Ridgefield, the Spudders returned to league play full of confidence.
Thursday offered Ridgefield a reminder that winning league and district titles won’t be easy.
“We have to work for every match that we play, it’s not just going to be given to us,” Ridgefield coach Sabrina Dobbs said. “We knew coming in it was going to be a competitive game. I think our nerves got to us a little bit.”
