SANDPOINT — It was a tough, hard-fought volleyball match but the Sandpoint Bulldogs came up just short, losing to Lewiston 21-25, 25-22, 15-25, 25-21, 15-9 in nonleague play Tuesday night at Les Rogers Court.

"I felt like we played like a team tonight," Sandpoint coach Karen Alsager said. "It's been a long time since I felt a passionate Sandpoint team and I felt that tonight, from the get-go, right from the start."

The first game was a back-and-forth battle with Sandpoint and the Bengals trading points before the Bulldogs fed off the crowd's energy to take the lead halfway through the first game.

The Bengals took advantage of a serve into the net to eke away at Sandpoint's lead but the Bulldogs settled down and powered the ball past Lewiston to methodically claim the first game.

The Bengals took advantage of a slow start by the Bulldogs at the start of the second game, coming out strong to take a quick 6-1 lead. The Bulldogs fought the way back, working as a team and showing a lot of grit to tie the game at 16. However, the Bengals made full use of their height to slowly inch their way to winning the second game.

The third game saw defensive specialist Amaya Russel power the ball past the Bengals' front line for an ace — one of four for the senior on the night.

"She served very well. She's just getting smarter and smarter as the season goes on," Alsager said.

The ace ignited the crowd, helping power the Bulldogs to a 6-1 lead before a timeout gave the Bengals a breather and helped them climb to within three points of Sandpoint.

However a furious rally by Sandpoint, combined with several aces and kills by the Bulldogs, helped them claim the third game, 25-15.

After the Bengals jumped to a 5-1 lead to start the fourth game, the Bulldogs took advantage of a long serve to tie the game. After the teams traded points, keeping within a point or two of each other, the Bengals pulled away to win the game 25-21.

The Bengals game out strong for the fifth game, pulling to a 7-2 lead over Sandpoint before a timeout helped settle the Bulldogs' nerves. An ace by Viv Platte and strong serving brought the Bulldogs to within a few points. Strong defense and a refusal to give up saw the Bulldogs pull to within two before the Bengals pulled away to win the game, 15-9, and the match.

Leading the Bulldogs in digs was Amaya Russel with 20. Hailey Roeder led the Bulldogs in kills with 13, followed by Viv Platte with 11 and Aubree Lane with 10. Roeder also had three blocks and two aces for the Bulldogs.

Setter Haley Swaim lead the Bulldogs with 39 assists. Platte led the Bulldogs in blocks with five on the night.

"She's doing everything we want her to do," Alsager said of Swaim. "She's passionate. She's smart. She plays with her whole heart all the time. She's my captain and she's doing a great job."

Alsager said it was a tough, hard-fought match that could have gone either way.

"We played passionate tonight. We played fearless tonight. We played as a team," she said. "I saw a spark in them tonight. It's hard to play for two hours [but] I'm really feeling like we're bonding as a group. They're playing for one another. I don't have any selfishness on the team. So that's all good things."

The Bulldogs are scheduled to take on Coeur d'Alene Thursday at home on Les Rogers Court.