IDAHO FALLS — Despite a hot start in the first set, the Clark Fork Wampus Cats cooled off before they lost to the Mackay Miners in four sets in the first round of the 1A State Tournament on Thursday.

The No. 4-seeded Wampus Cats continued their regular season dominance in the first set against the No. 5-seeded Miners. Clark Fork jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and pulled away late for a 25-23 victory; however, that would be their only set win of the night as Mackay claimed the next sets, 25-11, 25-14 and 25-14. 

"We managed to set a really good tone in the first set, but let it slip and got timid, unfortunately," Clark Fork head coach Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey said following the game. 

Clark Fork was led offensively by star sophomore setter Kiylah Anderson, who contributed 20 assists, four kills and three aces against Mackay. The Wampus Cats got six kills from freshman outside hitter Grace Thompson and five each from sophomore Vanessa Rogier and freshman Kourtney Rogier. Freshman Molly Adams served up four aces on offense for Clark Fork.  

On defense, the Wampus Cats were led by Vanessa Rogier, who totaled a team-high 13 digs. Anderson added nine digs, while the team's lone senior, Nora-Jean Hoy, contributed eight digs. 

"Mackay served strong and kept us on our toes. Lots of awesome long rallies just didn’t land our way," Kiebert-Carey said. 

In the second set, Mackay roared out to a 9-5 lead, and though Clark Fork battled back, it was doomed by two critical service errors late. Mackay evened the game at a set apiece with a 25-11 win. 

The third set looked strikingly similar to the second as the Miners jumped out to a 12-5 lead. The Wampus Cats cut the lead to 14-12 before the Miners jumped back on the gas to take the third set 25-14. 

Mackay's hot start rolled into the fourth set as a 4-1 early lead snowballed into a 12-5 advantage. With its hopes on the line, Clark Fork fought back and narrowed the Mackay lead to 14-10. However, it couldn't keep up with the Miners' offense as Mackay took the fourth set 25-14. 

With the loss, Clark Fork moves to the consolation bracket and will play the loser of No.1 seed Rockland and No. 8 seed Carey at 10 a.m. PDT on Friday. That win-or-go-home game will be streamed on the NFHS Network. 

"We're excited to hit the court again tomorrow," Kiebert-Carey said.