EPHRATA — Despite a fierce comeback on Senior Night, Ephrata came up just short in a five-set battle with Othello on Oct. 16, falling by scores of 21-25, 11-25, 25-17, 25-19, 10-15).

After dropping the first two sets, the Tigers surged back with renewed energy. Strong net play from Alexis Chornuk (12 kills), Izzlee Haney (8 kills) and Addison Vasquez (5 kills) helped Ephrata take sets three and four, forcing a deciding fifth. The visiting Huskies, however, regrouped and edged the Tigers in the final frame to claim the Central Washington Athletic Conference victory.

Setter Alyssa Dymarkowski kept Ephrata’s offense moving with 29 assists, while Kennedy Shafer and Sidney Chornuk added four and three aces, respectively. On defense, Faith Rodriguez anchored the back row with 25 digs, supported by Dymarkowski (15), Haney (14) and Sidney Chornuk (14). Alexis Chornuk led the blocking effort with three.

With the loss, the Tigers fell to 2-5 in CWAC play while Othello improved to 2-4.

Ephrata honored its seven seniors – Faith Rodriguez, Alyssa Dymarkowski, Alexis Chornuk, Izzlee Haney, Kennedy Shafer, Briayer Fisher and Tessa Hausken – for their leadership and dedication to the program. The home crowd celebrated the group’s final appearance on their home court with cheers and recognition throughout the night.

Ephrata travels to Grandview tonight (Oct. 21) before closing out the regular season this Thursday, Oct. 23, at home against Moses Lake in a non-league matchup.