TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Central Mountain players pose together with the championship plaque on Wednesday.

WINGATE — Central Mountain girls volleyball coach Chip McCann took over the helm of the Wildcats three years ago. The last two years, that meant having to grow up in the postseason in Class AAAA.

Wednesday night they had their growing up moment as in a back-and-forth District 6 Class AAA championship, the Wildcats survived a thriller, 3-2 (26-28, 25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 15-8) at Bald Eagle Area High School.

McCann couldn’t have been more grateful for the efforts of the girls who have been there every year to build for this moment.

“For these girls that have been here all three years, you can’t ask for much more,” he said. “They put their heart and soul out here. Their heart, and their will, you just can’t deny it. They’re a great group of seniors. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Central Mountain jumped out to a 20-14 hole in the first set, but an Emily Clapper Kill with a Kenzi McLanahan service ace helped put the Tigers on a 7-2 run which tied the opening stanza at 22.

Clapper registered a kill followed by a Central Mountain attack error for the opening set win.

The Wildcats turned momentum as they went on a 7-1 run during the second powered by a pair of kills from Gabrielle Beaubrun and from Kylie Rauch which helped them take a 21-12 lead.

“(Beaubrun)’s a phenomenal player,” McCann said. “Our girls know she’s phenomenal, and any chance they can get the ball to her, they do.

“She’s not going to do the same thing time after time and make a mistake. She encourages the setter to give the ball to the other girls, too. Just a great team player, a great kid.”

Hollidaysburg pulled within four after a pair of aces from Nora Stanek, but that’s about as close as Central Mountain grabbed set two.

Following some early turbulence in set three the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run as Olivia Sorgen and Rauch registered a pair of finishes to give the Wildcats a 14-11 lead.

“Serve receive, serving deep, making them chase balls instead of playing the right to them,” McCann said of the Wildcats offensive success. “When we seemed to have troubles whenever we would send a free ball right to a girl standing in a spot. That was a great high school volleyball match. Hats off to Hollidaysburg; they’re a good program. They’re young, they have some good hammers, too.”

Hollidaysburg did tie things up, but a Clalli McGregor and a Tiger double contact violation ended the comeback.

“Unforced errors all night,” Hollidaysburg coach Brandon Stitt. “We were able to get them out of system, and they just kept the ball in play. They played a great match. They kept giving us the ball and letting us make the error, and we played right into it.”

Hollidaysburg took control going on a 12-2 explosion in set four as they picked up finishes from Addi Basenbeck, along with two aces and a kill from Cierra Shoop to jump out to a 20-12 lead.

Central Mountain rallied back to get to within two, but Shoop and Delayni Baird’s combo block to force the decisive fifth frame.

Hollidaysburg would keep set five close until an attack error set off 6-0 match deciding run finished off with one kill apiece by Cora Myers and Katelyn Bowman to finish the match.

“I’m very fortunate every girl on this team is an awesome kid. They do well in school, they don’t get in trouble. I couldn’t ask for anything more as a team goes.”

Central Mountain’s reward is the WPIAL champion on Tuesday night at a site and time to be announced. The WPIAL will hold its championship match on Saturday between Quaker Valley and Hopewell.