PRIEST RIVER — A season's worth of work will come down to one match for the Priest River Spartans as they host the Melba Mustangs in a state play-in game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Priest River Lamanna High Gym.

The Spartans battled in two five-set thrillers in the 3A District 1-2 tournament on Saturday, sneaking past Orofino late in the night to earn a second-place finish in their district. Thanks to that finish, Priest River (15-4) earned the state play-in game and a sixth-place ranking in 3A by MaxPreps.

Melba, which is ranked ninth in 3A by MaxPreps, went 14-16 this season and fell in the runner-up game of the District 3 tournament. The Mustangs still earned a berth in the state play-in game based on MaxPreps rankings.

Priest River is led offensively by a trio of junior McKinley Burgess-Duquette, senior Raygn Turner and freshman Ava Griesemer. Burgess-Duquette brings the most offensive firepower, leading the team with 2.9 kills per set, while Griesemer is a star at the net and has totaled 77 blocks this season.

Defensively, the Spartans' star is senior Callie Stanger. Stanger and Turner lead the team in digs per set and frequently extend runs to keep Priest River alive in challenging spots.

The Spartans will need their best from all of their players as their season hangs in the balance on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Mustangs.