POULSBO — The Kingston, Poulsbo volleyball rivalry finale lived up to all expectations, complete with comebacks, ear-busting cheers and enough spirit to overwhelm a cheerleader.

The match started with hype, the teams battled with each other both on the court and with cheers from the bench. Competing fiercely, the teams howled following each score.

The Lady Panthers had more to yell about in the early going. They jumped out quick to a 5-0 lead in the first game while Kingston was scrambling to cover their bases. Soon Poulsbo was up double, 12-6.

But the Cavs wouldn’t go out without a fight.

“Do you want it?” KJH coach Su-A Stevens asked. A chorus of girls screamed, “Yeah!”

“Do you really want it?” Stevens asked again. Louder now, the team screeched, “Yeah!”

“Do you really, really want it?” Stevens hollered. And the team exploded onto the court with one more, “Yeah!”

Rallying through volleys, Kingston fought back to close the gap, however the first game was out of reach, PJH victorious 25-19.

“Our serving started out slow,” Panther coach Amy Johnson noticed. “But it picked up in the second and third games.”

Krista Vestman started out the second game with six straight points for Poulsbo, three shots being aces.

With the burst, the Panthers forced the Cavs to fight from behind once again.

“It’s always tough to play from behind,” coach Stevens said.

Stevens mentioned the points that came in from her five power servers as well as sneaky tip plays at the net from Amber Hoak as some of the plays which kept KJH in the game.

“Looking individually I have some amazing ball players,” Stevens said. However, the trouble arises when only one or two excel at a time. “The timing has been off and that has been a struggle all year.”

Despite individual highlights for the Cavs in game two, it ended in a 25-17 win for Poulsbo.

“We also had strong serving from Lindsey Colson and Jordan Sprague,” Johnson said. “We had strong front row hitting, with Taylor Ottomano, Alanna Shores, Krista Vestman and Darcey Hughes all getting multiple kills throughout the match.”

By the third game, the match had been decided, but no one told the Lady Cavs. The third set was a back and forth game, Kingston fought to shake the shutout.

“I think the pressure was off,” Stevens said of game three. “I don’t even pay attention to wins and losses anymore, that’s not important. (What’s important) is teaching the girls to play and develop a love and passion for the game.”

The Cavaliers’ passion showed through in game three as they ditched the shutout with a 16-14 win.

Both PJH and KJH have one game remaining. The Lady Cavs will travel to Ridgetop for a tough test starting at 3 p.m. tomorrow, and the Lady Panthers will travel to Bremerton for their finale.