SILVERDALE — The North Kitsap Vikings volleyball squad walked into the CK Cougar’s den with no fear on Tuesday night even though upon taking the court, North’s was at an obvious height disadvantage.

Sporting three girls at the same height as the tallest Viking — at 5’11” — and utilizing 6’3” center Amye Hanson at the net, the Cougars’ towered over North. However when it came down to desire, grit and intensity, the two teams sized up nearly even.

Though CK would eventually take the non-league match in three straight games — 25-21, 25-16, 25-14 — each was a dogfight to begin.

In the end, it was the Vikings who played themselves out of each victory, said NK coach Tim French.

“I was keeping track of unforced errors, and that was the difference,” he said. “We have to clean up on our errors or we’ll never hang with a team like CK.”

Early on, North had no problem keeping up with the potent Cougs, who gained another boost this year from a Rhode Island All-State transfer outside hitter, Katie Wilkinson.

Tuesday’s match went back and forth early as the Vikings’ defensive held strong with digs, returns, while patience and passing were the glue of their offense.

Even when CK took off on three- and four-point surges in the early going, North stayed poised, regrouping to keep the score knotted, all the way up to 14-13. Then the Cougs exploded, as momentum swung with a four-point favor to the home bench, punctuated by a Angela Spieker ace.

French called for a North timeout to stop the flood, but the damage had been done. The Vikings’ tried to rally under a block at the net and a Katie Richards’ kill, but in the end, offensive mistakes and missed balls contributed to another CK run that sealed the first game.

“Our passing was really on,” said North’s senior Richards. “But a lot of our hitting was off. They had a lot of big girls, but we need to work on getting over the big girls and hitting where we need to, every time.”

As the contest continued, North’s spirits stayed up, but its court execution went down as CK took the match momentum and ran.

The Cougs began the second game with another four-point run as multiple attacks by NK’s KC Fossum were either dug or denied. Fossum fought to keep the Vikes in contention but by the middle of the game, the Cougars were seemingly out of reach with a 17-10 lead. Junior Jessica Oullet helped North keep its composure with two kills, but from there, the rest of the game was a waltz for CK.

“It’s a game of momentum, and it’s a mental game,” French said. “If, and when it all comes together, CK showed tonight what can happen.”

At the same time on the evening North proved how much heart can influence what happens. Despite the teams’ size differential, North’s Christina Rose came up with 6 blocks. The Vikings’ floor defense backed up the front line with Kailey Jakola picking up 25 digs. While on offense, Richards had six kills on perfect serving and Amy Cox served up 19 assists.

“I am pleased with our middle defense and blocking, our young middle really stepped it up,” French said. “Our floor defense was correct, but we’ve got to be more aggressive to the ball.”

French cited the game as a good learning experience for the young Vikings’ whose true league season has yet to begin. They wrapped up pre-league play with a match against Steilacoom Thursday night with a 3-1 win — 22-25, 25-7, 25-14, 25-23. French called the match one of the best he’d seen all year.

Regardless of scores, North is rooted in the spirit of the game.

“There are those moments when you kill it hard and you get that point and it just makes you happy whether you’re winning or losing,” Richards said.

That mentality will carry North into league competition, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at Mount Tahoma.