STURGIS - Rapid City Central earned a pair of victories on Friday at the West River Greater Dakota Conference volleyball tournament in Sturgis.

The Cobblers outlasted Sioux Falls Lincoln in five games to end the day by scores of 25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 14-25, 15-9. Central began its day by downing Sioux Falls Washington 25-19, 25-18, 17-25,

25-18.

Rapid City stormed out to a 5-1 lead in the third game of the Lincoln match. Andrea Johnson contributed a block and a kill to lead the charge.

Central gained a side-out en route to a 13-8 advantage. Lincoln fought back to trail only 13-9, but a Johnson kill restored a five-point Cobbler edge. Rapid City won the game and match when a Lincoln hit went into the net.

Lincoln held an 8-7 edge in the fourth game before scoring six straight points. Katie Schlemmer's serving ace helped the Patriots claim a

14-7 lead.

Rapid City closed the margin to 17-13 but fell victim to a seven-point Patriot onslaught. Emily Schiltz and Tessa Reit each recorded a kill. Reit's effort made the score 24-13.

Shelly Wolfe, whose Central squad improved to 5-6 in the conference and 16-13 overall, said the Cobblers set a goal in that fifth game.

"We've had so many game fives that we lost," Wolfe said. "We set a goal that if it happened, we'd compete."

Central dropped a five-game match to Lincoln when the teams met earlier this season in Sioux Falls.

That goal helped keep the team focused tonight Wolfe said. She added Central tried to get all of its players involved.

Wolfe said everyone contributed kills and great defense in both games. The Washington victory also avenged an earlier setback.

Host Sturgis finished 0-2 for the day. The Scoopers fell 25-21, 25-15, 25-22 to Lincoln and 26-24, 25-16, 25-16 to Washington.

Sturgis led 11-7 in the first game against Lincoln before the Patriots ran off six straight points. Schiltz served an ace to help Sioux Falls lead 13-11. The Scoopers couldn't closer than one point the rest of the way.

Lincoln, leading 13-11 in the second game, used a Kayla Fritz ace to begin a five-point run. Sturgis gained side out and trailed 18-12 but got no closer.

The Scoopers built a 13-12 edge in game three before Lincoln scored two points. Following a timeout, Rachel Nemmers recorded a kill to make the score 15-13. The closest Sturgis got after that was two points.

Sturgis, who joins Central in Rapid City today, fell to 2-9 in the conference and 7-16 overall. The West River schools square off against Sioux Falls O'Gorman and Sioux Falls Roosevelt at Howard Naasz Gymnasium.

Scoopers head coach Sharon Peterson said Sturgis played well against Lincoln. She added she was pleased with the first game against Washington. As far as Saturday, Peterson looks for the squad to come in and compete.

Wolfe agreed the competition for Saturday will be very difficult. "We are going to enjoy tonight," she said. "But we want to walk in tomorrow ready to go."