On a night where the Evanston High School volleyball team celebrated its seniors, the Lady Devils were able to stay atop the 4A Southwest Quadrant standings with a 5-set thriller over Riverton.

The Wolverines — still smarting after losing to Evanston 3-1 on their home floor a week earlier — came out fired up in the first set, winning 27-25. The Lady Devils dominated the second set 25-9, but allowed Riverton back into the thick of things in the third set, falling 25-18.

The fourth set was back and forth from the jump, with neither team able to create any separation until late in the set. Tied 19-19, the Lady Devils were finally able to pull away, forcing the tiebreaker with a 25-20 win.

The Lady Devils went on a 5-2 run to open the fifth and deciding set, and were able to extend that lead to 10-5 at one point, eventually winning the set — and the match — 15-9.

“I thought the girls showed a lot of grit in playing hard and coming back, especially after dropping that first set,” said EHS head coach Tera Lawlar. “In the fourth set as well, momentum was starting to evaporate, and we called a timeout. I made the girls hold hands, because I didn’t know what else to do — the set was slipping away. But all of a sudden, they kind of smiled at each other and I thought, ‘OK, there might be something here. Let’s keep going with this.’ I was very pleased with how the girls fought back, and then carried that into the fifth set.”

Evanston sophomore Kyan Lawlar led the attack with 22 kills, to go along with a team-high 27 digs. Junior Alyssa Brown added another 14 kills and 15 digs; senior Jaylie Critchfield finished with a team-high four aces (tied with teammate Braelynn Morrison), to go along with 17 digs and nine kills; she also led the team in assists, with 41.

Back to full strength following lengthy injuries, sophomore Cassie Barker and senior Kaisli Fitch finished with seven kills and six kills, respectively; Fitch also had a solo block. Cassidy Coley finished the night with 18 digs, while senior Austin Robertson tallied 11 digs.

“I liked the grit — I liked the fact that they could have given up, and didn’t,” coach Lawlar said. “I think this team is notorious for not giving up easily — if they drop a set, I feel confident that they can come back, and I think they feel that confidence, as well. It’s a ‘Just give us one more, and we’ll show you’ kind of attitude, and they proved that again. The game wasn’t necessarily pretty — it started getting pretty loose there toward the end — but we were playing relaxed, and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.”

The Lady Devils honored three seniors Thursday — Kaisli Fitch, Austin Robertson and Jaylie Critchfield.

“It was an emotional night, but it didn’t feel like the end,” Lawlar said, referring to this Thursday’s Pink Out match against Star Valley. “We scheduled it that way so we would have one more at home following Senior Night.”

As for her three seniors, Lawlar said all three bring something different to the table, and all will be missed.

“With Kaisli, it was so impressive how quickly she was able to return this season after her injury,” Lawlar said. “It’s not an easy injury to come back from. She’s been a right side and a middle for us for four years, and just a big presence at the net. She can be a force at the net, and it’s great to have her back up there. She’s quick enough to get outside to close the block, and she’s strategic with her attacking. I’m just really proud of her.”

Lawlar calls Robertson a hard worker on and off the court.

“Austin has really made strides from where she started,” Lawlar explained. “She’s very scrappy, and in this last match against Riverton, she had some really good pickups. She’s a very hard worker, and she cares very much for this team. She constantly wants to know how she can improve, and I appreciate that about her.”

Critchfield is a four-year starter for Lawlar, starting as a 6-2 setter, then running a 5-1 offense the last two years.

“That’s a lot of touches, and a lot of experience,” Lawlar said. “In addition with her club volleyball experience, she’s had so many more touches than most of the other setters on the other side of the net she faces. And it shows. She’s strategic, and she’s probably one of the most offensively-minded setters in the state. She gets us big kills when we need them, and she serves tough. She’s a captain, a good leader on the court. She’s definitely the real deal. She’s been good for the program for four years.”