Coyotes win marathon match with McLane

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune

Madera’s Marco Gomez rises over the McLane block for one of his 17 kills in Thursday’s five-set victory over the Highlanders in Joe Flores gym. 

---

For the first time this season, the Madera Coyotes boys volleyball team defeated a team ahead of them in the rankings, but it took five sets and almost two hours to do it against the McLane Highlanders.

The Coyotes took the first set, 25-21, but couldn’t get anything going in the second set, losing 25-11 Thursday in Joe Flores Gym. Madera came back with a  25-21 win in the third set, but McLane won the fourth set, 25-21. Madera surged in the fifth set for a 15-8 win. 

Overall, the Highlanders outscored the Coyotes 100-97 in the five sets, but the Coyotes came away with what matters more — the win.