LIVIA KASCH hits the ball over the net for Webster City against St. Edmond in Fort Dodge. (Photo by Britt Kudla)

Webster City hit a different gear when the match was on the line against St. Edmond.

The Lynx let a two-game lead slip away as St. Edmond tied it with victories in Games 3 and 4, but it was how Webster City finished that cemented the North Central Conference victory.

With the match on the line, the Lynx started with a six-point run to begin the deciding set and eventually earned a 15-7 win.

“We would have much rather done it in three sets, but we had a better mindset in set five that three and four,” said Webster City head coach Jess Howard. “To start the fifth set, we began by setting the tone and trusting our offense.”

Webster City (10-7 overall, 3-1 in the North Central Conference) won a tight 25-21 first set and cruised to a 25-11 win in Game 2. The Gaels (3-12, 0-4) turned the tide and showed their resilience with 25-19 and 25-20 victories to stay alive.

With the deciding set still in limbo at 7-3, the two teams exchanged a long rally, where the Lynx eventually won with a Joslin Gourley kill to kickstart the final push.

“There are certain points in the middle of a set when you need to win big points,” Howard said. “We talked a lot about mixing it up and being efficient with soft and hard shots.”

In the opening set, Webster City came out strong building a 19-8 advantage. St. Edmond closed out on a 9-3 run and got within 24-21 with four straight before the Lynx closed the door.

It was all Lynx in the second game as they closed out a 16-11 game with nine straight points.

Reese Casey and Sierra Rattenborg led the Lynx with 13 kills. Gourley added 12.

Alley Odland had 41 digs, while Gourley (14), Fallon Casey (13), Adeline Tesdahl (13) and Olivia Gallentine (13) were also leaders.

Gourley had 25 assists and Fallon Casey had 23. At the service line, Odland was 22-for-22 with an ace. Olivia Gallentine was 14-for-15 with three aces.

“I give kudos to St. Edmond…they were prepared in the middle sets,” Howard said. “They gave it everything they had.”

Webster City travels to Clear Lake on Tuesday.