IDAHO FALLS – It was nearly 10:30 p.m., and Kellogg Head Coach Hollie Yrjana wasn’t sure her heart was still functioning — but she couldn’t stop smiling. Her second-seeded Wildcats had just survived their first five-set match of the season, outlasting seventh-seeded Firth 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 26-24, 15-12 in the opening round of the 3A State Tournament at the Mountain America Center. 

After rallying to force a fifth set, Kellogg jumped out to an 11-3 lead, then held off a furious Firth comeback to seal the win. 

Firth came out swinging, exploiting gaps in the Wildcat defense and keeping Kellogg off balance early. The Wildcats responded in the second set with a hitting barrage of their own. Midway through the match, Yrjana urged her undersized squad, none taller than 5-foot-8, to pick up the pace and stop trying to match the Cougars hit for hit. 

“When we changed our tempo, that was the turning point for us,” Yrjana said. “We can’t just rely on our hitting when we play these taller girls.” 

Kellogg got key contributions from its supporting cast, but when the match tightened, captains Paige Yrjana and Dani Henrickson stepped up. 

“Paige was a beast on defense for us tonight,” Yrjana said. “Dani was phenomenal all night too.” 

No stats were available. 

Kellogg returns to action Friday at 3:30 p.m. MST against Melba, which defeated Malad earlier Thursday, at the Mountain America Center.