HAYDEN — During warmups on Thursday night, the Hayden High School girls volleyball team wore T-shirts with white lies, inspired by a TikTok trend. Each player wore a white shirt with a phrase written in permanent marker that was an obviously incorrect statement.

Senior Piper Jo Jones wore a shirt that said, “I never throw things at my teammates,” referring to a time she chucked a Tupperware lid at sophomore teammate Jenna Kleckler and beaned her in the ear.

Senior Cassidy Wall proudly donned a shirt that read, “I am the most graceful player on the court.” Wall, for better or for worse, spends a lot of time hitting the hardwood during a game.

If they were to all wear a matching white lie shirt, it would probably say, “The Hayden High School girls volleyball team never has any fun.”

The Tigers won in four sets over Rangely, and that is not a lie.

“They talked,” said head coach Kaitlyn Rudolph. “They were on the same page on the court. They knew exactly where everybody was. They trusted each other. … Just the cohesion was so nice.”

Hayden opened the night with confidence, winning the first set 25-17. While a close bout, the Tigers led the whole way. Rangely’s net presence put a stop to the Tigers offense in the second. The Panthers won out 25-17.

In the third set was close, but the Tigers chased most of the way. They trailed 1-2, 8-9, then 11-12 before an out-of-bounds Panthers hit tied the game at 13. A pair of aces from Tessa Booco and a Bella Svoboda slam earned Hayden a 16-13 lead. Soon enough, Hayden led 20-14.

The Panthers clawed back within range of victory, 21-20, forcing a Tigers timeout. Returning to the floor, Rangely tied the set at 21.

Panthers and Tigers exchanged blows until the game sat tied at 25. A Rangely attack went long and out of bounds, giving Hayden a 26-25 lead and putting sophomore Emily Rajzer on the service line. She sent the ball perfectly over the net, careening towards the Rangely back line. A pair of Panthers watched as the ball dropped in bounds. Rajzer leaped into the air, celebrating the win.

“Once we all figured out where to put the ball and what to adjust to, that got us some points back,” Rajzer said.

The tense competition lasted through the fourth. The teams went back and forth, tying the game every couple points and taking turns leading for a moment. Finally, a Rajzer tip broke the pattern and gave Hayden a 12-9 lead. Rangely started to crumble. With Svoboda serving, Ragely put three straight balls out of bounds, stretching the Tigers advantage to 17-11, and eventually 25-16.

The Tigers are on the edge of the top 36 teams, which move on to playoffs, but aren’t holding their breath. If that was the end for the 2021 team, it was a good way to finish.

“We fought so hard this season,” said senior Aveory Lighthizer. “We had such a good record compared to last year. It just really warms my heart to end on such a good note.”

Hayden 3, Rangely 1

H 25 17 27 25 – 3

R 18 25 25 16 – 1