Momentum was a fleeting commodity in Monday night’s volleyball match between Gorham and Biddeford.

The teams traded games for nearly two hours before Gorham pulled out a five-game victory, 25-23, 19-25, 25-20, 25-27, 15-12. With the win, the Rams improved to 4-2 while the loss dropped the Tigers to 3-3.

It was an intense match in front of a good-sized crowd at Biddeford’s White Gym, as each team came up with critical kills and service aces time and time again. In the end, it was a double-hit called on Biddeford that gave the Rams a win in the fifth game.

While a disappointing way for the Tigers – who start only two seniors – to go down, coach Ruth Shaw said it will help her young team improve as the season progresses.

“We thought it was touched above the net, where you can hit it again,” she said. “(The referee) said she was not above the net when she contacted on the block. It’s a tough call, especially on game point, but what are you going to do? It makes them stronger. It makes them more resilient.”

Biddeford appeared to be down and out in the fourth game when middle hitter Alyssa Grigware left the match with a knee injury and the Tigers trailing 7-3 in the game and 2-1 in the match. The Rams pushed the lead to 10-3 thanks to three straight aces from Megan Bilodeau, prompting a Biddeford timeout.

“When Alyssa went down I went ‘oh, no,'” Shaw said. “She’s a senior captain and she makes a difference out there. Without her it’s like, ‘Are we going to have the stamina and the courage and the belief to get there?'”

The Tigers came out of the timeout and went on a 6-3 run before Grigware returned. After they closed the score to 21-20, Gorham ran off three straight to force match point. Biddeford tied it with four straight points, including an ace by Keila Grigware, and then took the lead on a controversial call on the backline. A spike by Gorham’s Sara Burnheimer – who had a match-high 18 kills – made it 25-25, but a service error and a return error by the Rams gave the Tigers the win.

In the decisive game, Biddeford jumped to a 3-0 lead before Gorham ran off four straight. After that, neither team led by more than two points until the final point was scored.

“That was a great match. I don’t think high school volleyball gets any better than that,” said Gorham coach Lisa Curley.

Curley credited setter Rachel Fogarty with taking charge in the fifth game, where she had a game-tying service ace early on and helped set up the Gorham attack.

“She is being a great leader out there,” Curley said. “She took control that last game, our little setter. I think that’s what it takes is somebody to lead them and make sure they are playing every point.”

The Rams are striving to be more aggressive on returns, looking for the hearty spike rather than just lofting the ball back.

“We’ve changed our serve receiving and it’s a lot stronger,” Curley said. “We’re trying to put the ball on the floor a little bit more rather than just push it over.”

In the first game, Gorham went up 5-1 before Biddeford battled back to take an 11-6 lead. Gorham retook the lead at 20-19 and went up 24-20. Fogarty’s well-placed shot gave the Rams a 25-23 win.

In game two, the only time Biddeford trailed was at 3-2. Alyssa Grigware came up with a pair of service aces and registered a kill on game point.

The third game was tied 8-8 before Gorham went on a 12-4 run to seize control. Molly Lortie’s service ace down the right sideline on game point iced it for the Rams.

Though the season is only approaching the midway point, Curley said the match already had playoff implications with several one-, two-, and three-loss teams holding Western Maine championship aspirations. That would mean dethroning Greely, the five-time defending state champions.

“Greely is usually dominant, so we’re pushing for second or third seed so we don’t hit them right off the bat in the semis,” Curley said.