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MUSCATINE, Iowa – Muscatine’s volleyball team had six match points in the fourth game Tuesday night to upend Pleasant Valley and send its seniors out with a final home win.

The Muskies couldn’t seal the deal.

PV ran off eight straight points to force a fifth game and tallied the first six points in the last game to walk off with a 21-25, 24-26, 25-16, 26-24, 15-4 triumph at the Muscatine Fieldhouse.

“Everything kind of fell apart for us,” senior Haylie Franklin said. “We just couldn’t do anything right. Unfortunately, it just happens sometimes.”

Consequently, Muscatine (29-6, 5-4 MAC) finished in a tie for fourth place with North Scott in the Mississippi Athletic Conference. PV (17-12, 7-2) was third – two games behind Davenport Central, which captured its third consecutive league title.

With the exception of Game 3, Muscatine controlled the better part of Games 1, 2 and 4. The Muskies used a 10-4 surge out of the gates to take the opening set, and capitalized on two Spartan errors late in the second game to seize a 2-0 advantage.

“(The girls) really came to play,” MHS coach Laura Proffitt said. “We had great teamwork, our fundamentals were working and we found holes in their defense.”

PV adjusted in Game 3, putting more emphasis on Muscatine’s middles – Franklin and Emily Hasken – with its block. The Spartans never trailed in the game to cut the match lead in half.

Muscatine rebounded and appeared to be on its way to victory after a pair of Allison Curry kills gave the Muskies a 24-18 cushion.

The Spartans refused to surrender.

Led by a scrappy defense, the team-high 19 kills of junior middle Stacy Clark and three Muskie hitting errors, PV stormed back to even the match.

“One of the things we’ve struggled with all season is coming back,” PV coach Stacey Ruff said. “I really felt like tonight was the first time we didn’t get freaked out and we just got after it.”

Franklin said, “Their defense (at the end of Game 4) was amazing. They were going after everything. They didn’t want to lose that game.”

Muscatine never challenged PV in the fifth game. Morgan Lamb had two kills and a block as the Spartans raced out to 6-0 lead. In fact, PV registered 14 consecutive points (last eight of Game 4 and first six of Game 5).

“We just mentally broke down there a little bit,” Proffitt said. “That’s something we can’t be doing at this point in the season.

“Volleyball is a very back and forth game. You’re going to make a mistake, but you can’t let it affect you. I think our girls have really improved in that area throughout the year, but we just had a lapse at the end of Game 4 and it carried into Game 5.”

Franklin, one of eight Muskie seniors recognized before the match, finished with 19 kills, 26 digs and eight blocks. Hasken, also a senior, had 16 kills and was 23-for-24 serving.

Setter Julie Wunder had 49 assists for Muscatine, which turns its attention to Monday’s Class 4A regional opener at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

“Some of those mental mistakes are tough because that’s stuff that’s hard to work on in practice,” Proffitt said. “The girls are going to take some time to reflect and get prepared for Monday.

“I think the girls will be ready.”

Pleasant Valley 21-24-25-26-15

Muscatine 25-26-16-24-4

Muscatine Statistics

Kills – Haylie Franklin 19, Emily Hasken 16, Allison Curry 10. Blocks – Franklin 8, Hunter Berry 2, Tia Hagy 1. Serving – Hasken 23-24, 2 aces; Curry 18-18; Franklin 14-15, ace; Jordan Walgren 13-15, 3 aces; Ashley Hogenson 10-10. Digs – Franklin 26, Walgren 22, Natalie Pestka 14, Hogenson 12. Assists – Julie Wunder 49.

Records – PV 17-12, 7-2 MAC; MHS 29-6, 5-4.

Next – Muscatine travels to Cedar Rapids Jefferson at 7 p.m. Monday for its Class 4A regional opener. PV plays the winner of Davenport West and Burlington in a regional semifinal on Thursday, Oct. 29.