DEL NORTE – The Del Norte High School volleyball team played to a fifth set for the third time this season when it hosted Sargent Tuesday at the DNHS gym.

Not only did the Tigers snap a four-match losing streak, they also dealt the Farmers their first loss of the season. Sargent won the first set 25-21, but Del Norte won the next two 25-20 and 26-24. The Farmers took the fourth set 25-23, but Del Norte wrapped up the match by winning the fifth set 15-7.

“It’s a fun game,” said Del Norte coach Chance Canty. “It’s always fun to compete against Sargent. They’re a great team and coached well with tremendous athletes. It was a good battle at times and went to another fifth set. We had to prove that we belong to be in these top-end matches as well.”

“Our communication broke down and we did things we don’t have normally done,” said Sargent coach Amber Mortensen.

The Farmers scored the first point of the first set, and the teams traded side outs. Sargent then took a 6-4 lead before Del Norte came back to tie the score at 7-7.

The Farmers went on a 4-0 run to take an 11-7 advantage. After a brief Tigers side out, Sargent scored five straight points to extend its lead to 16-8.

After exchanging side outs, Del Norte scored seven consecutive points to close within 17-16. But Sargent went on a 5-1 run for a 23-18 lead.

The Tigers rallied to cut the deficit to 24-21, but Kandace Pargin slammed a kill to give the first set to the Farmers, 25-21.

Sargent scored the first two points of the second set and stretched the lead to 5-2. But Del Norte went on a 5-1 rally to take a 7-6 lead.

Kandace and Kimmy Pargin both had a pair of kills as the Farmers regained the lead at 11-8. However, the Tigers had an 8-1 run to regain the lead at 16-12.

Sargent scored five of the next seven points to narrow the margin to 18-17. But Del Norte scored seven of the last 10 points to take the second set 25-20 and tied the match at a set apiece.

The Tigers opened the third set by scoring the first point, but the Farmers went on a 5-2 run to go in front at 5-3. Del Norte then took control by going on an 11-3 run to regain the lead at 14-8.

Sargent responded by scoring seven straight points to take av 15-14 lead. Del Norte took the lead back at 16-15, but the Farmers scored six in a row with Kandace Pargin recording five kills to regain the lead ay 21-16.

The Tigers then scored 10 of the last 13 points to gain a 26-24 win.

Sargent scored the first point of the fourth set and pushed its lead to 11-6. Del Norte answered with a 5-0 run to tie the score at 11-11, but the Farmers had an 8-3 run to take a 19-14 lead.

The Tigers scored six unanswered points to go back into the lead at 20-19. But the Farmers scored six of the last 10 points for a 25-23 win and deadlock the match at two sets each.

The Farmers scored the first point of the fifth set, but the Tigers came back to go in front at 4-2. Sargent regained the lead at 5-4, but that would be its final lead as Del Norte scored 11 of the last 13 points to win 15-7.

Naylie Velasquez led Del Norte with 35 assists. Emma Parra led the hitting game with 16 kills, followed by Brynley Brown with 14, and Addie Roepke with 10.

The Tigers also had 12 service aces and were led by Julia Trujillo with four. Parra and Brown both had three, and Makenzie Consaul had two.

Reese Anderson was Sargent’s offensive leader with 36 assists. Kandace Pargin led in kills with 28, followed by Kimmy Pargin with nine, and Reese Anderson with seven.

The Farmers served up 10 aces and were led by Reese Anderson with four, followed by the Pargins with two apiece, and Bailey Roberts and Catherine Deacon for with one.

Del Norte (4-4, 0-1) will return to league play on Saturday as it travels to Center.

“We go through pretty much our league play for the next month,” Canty said. “Then we’ll branch back out for a couple of tournaments.”

Sargent (10-1, 3-0) played at Sierra Grande on Friday. Its next game will be at Mountain Valley on Oct. 4.

“It comes down to do what we do in practice,” Mortensen said. “We need to work out some kinks in practice. These are really good girls and we have some young kids who are learning. We just have to iron out some kinks, and we’ll be fine.”