ST. PAUL — Leave it to a pair of rivals to put together another humdinger of a volleyball match.
Marmaton Valley and Crest High’s squads collided on a night of key Three Rivers League matchups.
Both were in St. Paul — another power TRL foe — for the triangular.
Crest took the opener against Marmaton Valley, 25-17, but the Wildcats responded with a flourish, winning a razor-thin second set, 26-24, and then prevailing in the tiebreaker, 25-21.
Neither team could find the winning formula to knock off host St. Paul.
The Wildcats dropped a 25-11 and 25-18 match to the Indians.
Crest stayed neck-and-neck with St. Paul through the first set before dropping a 25-22 decision. The Indians ended the match with a 25-14 win in the second set.
This may not be the last time the spirited rivals square off.
All three teams are in Marmaton Valley’s Class 1A-I Substate.
The Wildcats (19-8) currently hold the fourth seed in the regional standings, just ahead of Crest (13-15). St. Paul (25-4) is the top seed.
If the standings hold through the final two weeks of the regular season, Marmaton Valley and Crest will battle to open the playoff round, with the winner getting another crack at St. Paul.
But there remains work to be done before that happens.
Crest travels to Cherokee Tuesday for a triangular with host Southeast High and Yates Center.
Marmaton Valley is at Uniontown Saturday for tournament action before traveling to Chetopa Tuesday.
