CROSBY — It’s almost come to be expected. Like a birth rite, the Pine River-Backus Tigers returned to the Section 5-1A Championship game after knocking off No. 1-seeded Swanville 3-0 in the East Subsection 5-1A Final Tuesday, Oct.
29. ADVERTISEMENT The No. 3-seeded Tigers used effective serving, relentless defense, and as PRB head coach Josh Hirschey put it, a little bit of luck.
“We were fortunate,” Hirschey said. “They’ve got a great team and they got after us in a similar fashion during a tournament here in Crosby. In a lot of ways, we were fortunate.
Small breaks here and there. Two of those games could have gone either way.” Good programs have a way of making their own breaks and the Tigers fit that description.
PRB came into Tuesday’s contest with a 10-game section winning streak . The Tigers' last loss in the section tournament came Nov. 6, 2021, when they lost to Walker-Hackensack-Akeley in the section final.
Over the last four section tournaments, PRB now owns a 14-1 record, Hirschey was correct, though It wasn’t easy. The Tigers' largest lead of Set One was just five points at 10-5. That quickly evaporated as Swanville tied the score 14-14.
PRB’s largest deficit, however, was just one point and a kill by Ariana Burns handed the Tigers a 22-21 lead they wouldn't relinquish, but they also struggled to get separation. A Kassidy Bristow kill handed PRB a 25-24 lead and a Swanville hitting error gave the Tigers the first set. “I was super proud of t.
