BIDDEFORD — It was sweet revenge for the Biddeford girls volleyball team on Wednesday night.

The Tigers went down to the wire with Falmouth, the only team to beat Biddeford this season, by going into a fifth and deciding game. With Biddeford up 17-16, Tigers outside hitter Keila Grigware served the ball to the Yachtsmen side of the court. The ball was never returned, as it fell to the floor on a service ace, giving Biddeford (10-1) the game, the match, and continued confidence on its way to the Western Class A playoffs.

Grigware said she was nervous before hitting the final serve.

“I was nervous,” Grigware said. “But then I just took a deep breath and looked over the court and said, ‘I’m just going to get this ball in,’ and I did.”

Each game contained the same characteristic. One team grabs a lead early, the other makes a comeback before one of the teams pulled ahead at the end. The Tigers took an 8-4 lead in the first game before Falmouth made its way back to tie the game at 8-8. The Yachtsmen then pulled ahead of the Tigers and kept the lead, picking up a 25-17 win.

In the second game, the Tigers once again took the lead to start, but the Yachtsmen came from behind to tie the game again, this time 14-14. The game continued to go back and forth until it was tied at 20-20, where the Tigers pulled ahead for the final five points and won the game 25-20.

Biddeford took the third game, inching out to a 25-23 win, but both teams went back and forth in the fourth game. Tied at 20-20 again, each team went shot for shot until the Yachtsmen pulled ahead to a 28-26 win, thanks to a double-hit by Biddeford, to send the game to a fifth game. Different game, same back and forth pace, as the Tigers came out to a 7-3 lead before Falmouth came back and eventually tied the game 11-11. Both teams battled back and forth until the score was tied at 16-16, when a Falmouth player was called for having her hands over the net, making it 17-16, before Grigware smacked the ace that sealed the win for the Tigers.

Tigers captain Alyssa Drapeau said mistakes by the Tigers gave opportunities for Falmouth to make its comebacks.

“[On a scale of 1-10 in difficulty] It was a ten,” Drapeau said. “It was difficult because we made it difficult on ourselves. We made too many mistakes on our end and we let the mistakes get in our head and keep us down.”

Tigers head coach Ruth Shaw said she was proud of the mental toughness her team showed throughout the game.

“They’re really coming to that point,” Shaw said. “It really is a mental state of mind, saying ‘We are good enough to play’ and get to the playoffs.”

Grigware and Drapeau were the statistical leaders on the night for Biddeford. Grigware finished with three aces and 10 kills, while Drapeau had five aces and five kills. Renee Trottier chipped in with five kills, while Deanna Tourigny had two aces and three kills.

Biddeford has only three game left in the regular season, all against opponents with records of .500 or lower. As of this morning, the Tigers were in second place in the MPA Heal Point standings, only one spot behind Mount Desert Island, who are 11-1.

The win will be short-lived, as the Tigers hit the road tonight for a game against Gorham scheduled for 6 p.m.

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.