TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; The two-time defending state champion Truckee volleyball team overcame one hiccup to defeat visiting Fernley in four sets, 25-8, 19-25, 25-13, 25-18, in a Northern 3A regional playoff match Friday night.

The win sends the top-seeded Wolverines to the 3A State Championship tournament next week in Las Vegas, where they will seek a third consecutive title.

and#8220;I think we played pretty good,and#8221; said Truckee senior libero Katie Mohun, whose Wolverines improved to 21-9 overall on the year. and#8220;We played more as a team than we have lately, which is what we’ve been trying to do all season. And I thought we really brought it tonight.and#8221;

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Truckee found its rhythm early, jumping out to a commanding 15-4 lead in the first game after a string of eight consecutive serves by senior outside hitter Annie Reiswig. After Fernley broke up the run, Brittany Thomas served another seven points to lead the Wolverines to the easy win.

The Vaqueros refused to go quietly, however, as they rallied back in the second set and never trailed after taking their first lead at 5-4. Truckee closed the gap to two points late, at 20-18, but Fernley outscored the hosts 5-2 down the stretch to even the match at one game apiece.

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and#8220;I thought we started off strong, especially in the first game. But we settled in a little too much in the second game and had to try to dig ourselves out,and#8221; said Truckee head coach Erika Murphy.

Momentum did not remain on the Vaqueros’ side for long. The Wolverines led throughout the third game, jumping out to a 2-0 lead that they extended to 6-1 on a kill by Kaylee Lewis. Following a mini run by Fernley, Reiswig gave the Vaqueros fits with a nasty serve that led to nine straight points, and a 15-5 Truckee lead. Appropriately, Reiswig ended the match with a kill.

The fourth game was similar to the third as Truckee took over the lead for good at 4-3 and never looked back.

and#8220;We had some good things happen out there, but obviously we made some mistakes, and you can’t make mistakes against a team like Truckee,and#8221; said Fernley head coach Diane Chapin, whose Vaqueros finished the season 15-17 overall. and#8220;But that was the toughest we’ve played Truckee in a long time.and#8221;

Reiswig led the Wolverines with 13 kills, 19 serves and six aces, while Kiersten Knoppel converted 11 of her 15 kill attempts. Angelena Sahlberg also had 19 serves and finished with a 100 percent success rate, while coach Kim Thomas praised the defensive play of Krysta Murphy.

For the Vaqueros, Brooke Mattice tallied eight kills, Taylor Thomas had six kills, Jordan King had 22 assists and Emily Howell and Kelsey Walsh each had nine digs.