From the outside looking in, the world will judge the Big Bend Community College volleyball team by its win-loss record, which shows just one win in the past 41 matches.

But Wednesday night’s five-set slugfest with Blue Mountain Community College from Pendleton, Ore., was one of those locker room victories that remind them the work is paying off.

The Vikings (0-11, 0-1 NWAC East) lost the last five points of the final game to drop the NWAC East season opener 25-15, 19-25, 25-20, 25-27, 15-9.

But they went down swinging, showing a little grit and spit in the process. Madison Powers finished with a match-high 12 kills. JoAndra Wilson of Lapwai, Idaho, added 10 kills. Savannah Bass led the Vikings with 27 assists.

“The fourth game (27-25) was a manifestation of the things we talk about on a daily basis. It’s been a process. In playing at this level, where everyone’s good, there are little things that separate one from the other,” first-year Big Bend coach Michael DeHoog said. “Everyone on the outside is going to judge us on the win-loss column. But when you’re trying to revamp the culture of a program and play at a higher level, tonight was a win.”

Blue Mountain (5-9, 1-1 NWAC East) regained the lead with a 25-20 win in the third set. But Big Bend found another level, taking a 13-7 lead in the fourth set with a four-point run on Natalie Yergensen’s service. Alyona Korneychuk of Soap Lake had a kill to start the run and Yergensen had a nice block in the middle.

“Tonight felt amazing. It wasn’t a complete game, but we’ve grown so much from the beginning of the season,” said Bass, who is one of four sophomores. “For us sophomores, this is the level of play we’ve been working so hard to play at. I’m not completely satisfied because we lost, but I’m walking away with a good feeling. All of the sophomores are here for a reason and we’re trying to change the culture of this program. I think we took a step tonight.”

The fourth set was tied twice at 24 and again at 25, but Big Bend pushed it to a fifth and decisive set with one more Powers kill to close it out at 27-25.

“It was pretty intense, we wanted it really bad,” Miller said. “Tonight it felt like we’ve made some progress. I think we tend to over-think things. I think we need to just go out and play and we’ll be fine.”

The Vikings travel to Yakima on Friday and return home for matches with Treasure Valley on Saturday and Walla Walla on Sept. 27.