UPDATE: Washington will host Bunn on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the first round of the 2-A state playoffs.

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The Washington volleyball team locked up its second-consecutive Eastern Plains Conference tournament championship Wednesday evening, shutting out second-place North Pitt in the final match before the playoffs.

The victory came just eight days after the Panthers secured a closely contested five-game grudge match, which lasted almost three hours and handed the Pam Pack its first conference loss. What appeared on paper as a heartbreaking defeat head coach Kelly Slade considered a humbling test of character. And if the EPC title match was an indication, Washington seems to have learned from it.

“Everyone now knows their role on the team, everyone knows their responsibilities and everyone has stepped up to the plate through all of these games over the last few weeks,” Slade said. “They just know what’s expected of them and they go out and do it. They go out and have fun playing together.”

Visually and in the box score, seemingly every player on the roster contributed a little something to the win. Senior Adriana Tyson, Washington’s kill leader on the season, finished with a match-high 23, while her senior counterpart at the front of the net, Abby Walker, strung together 17 kills and a handful of blocks.

Sophomores Sarah Lynch and Briley Waters, who began the season on junior varsity and has quickly become one of Slades leading producers at setter, notched a combined 44 assists. Even Sophomores Meghan Moore and Charity Gardner supplied some support off the bench.

Defensively, and in some cases offensively, seniors Alexis Brooks and Allison Brantley one of their best statistical matches of the season, committing very few unforced errors.

“Adriana and Abby are trolling the middle of the net and getting it done in the middle. They really were a force to be reckoned with, but we had a contribution from every one that went out on the court tonight. It really was a group effort and a team win.”

A day removed from a semi-final that took three challenging games to complete, the Pam Pack gave itself an early cushion in the first game. By limited mistakes and not overreaching, the team was able to comfortably move through the game. For North Pitt, junior Sarah Searcy picked up a trio of kills, but couldn’t bridge the gap, as Washington took the first game, 25-17.

The Panthers managed to secure their first lead of the contest in the second game, but it lasted just one series. Solid play from Brantley on the back line and at the front of the net opened up the Pam Pack’s lead to nine midway through the game. Despite a late rally from North Pitt, Washington hung on for a 25-19 win.

Searcy and North Pitt jumped out to its biggest lead of the match early in the third game after a few well-timed kills. In a back-and-forth affair, both teams exchanged points, as the score was even on five separate occasions. But eventually, the Waters to Walker combination at the front of the net heated up and Washington found itself on a 12-3 run. On game point, the Pam Pack finished off the tournament expressively, Tyson receiving a perfect set from Lynch and firing a kill to the back line.

“Our girls were really fired up and had their eyes on the prize,” Slade said. “They really came out here ready to play. It was ours for the taking and we came out here and took it.

“We have to work hard in the next few days at practice to get mentally prepared for what we need to do. Clearly we’re not perfect, we can get better at everything, so we’re just going to really push hard for the next couple practices to make sure we’re prepared for the playoffs.”

Check back here later for an update on which team Washington will face in the first round of the Class 2-A state playoffs.