The West Ranch girls volleyball team came close against Saugus.

It wasn't about to let an opportunity slip away against Valencia.

The Wildcats overcame 10 and nine-point deficits to win the opening two games, then withstood a Valencia rally to win the fifth game and beat the Vikings 3-2 on Tuesday at Valencia High School.

Led by 27 kills from outside hitter Hannah Orlandi, the Wildcats (12-8, 4-1) won for the first time at Valencia. They beat the Vikings in last season's Foothill League opener, but the match was held at West Ranch.

On Tuesday, the Wildcats rallied from 12-2 and 15-6 deficits to win the first two games and closed out the match with a dominant showing in the fifth. The scores were 26-24, 25-23, 25-27, 23-25, 15-10.

"We shot ourselves in the foot against Saugus, and we didn't want to do that again today," said West Ranch head coach Nate Sparks. "We stayed composed, we stayed competitive the whole time and we didn't let up."

The Wildcats lost to the Centurions 3-0 on Sept. 30 by the minimum two points in all three games.

After dropping the third and fourth games against the Vikings (8-7, 4-1), though, West Ranch was in danger of missing a golden opportunity to land a milestone win.

"We worked so hard, we didn't want it to slip through our fingers," Orlandi said.

Wildcats sophomore Sarah McGough also had a big game, recording seven points in the first game alone. She finished with 13 total kills.

Valencia jumped up again in the second game by capitalizing on miscues and getting strong play up front from Emily Ellias.

But Vikings head coach Ray Sanchez said the team's youth contributed to a second straight collapse.

"I think our young players really had a difficult time maintaining their composure in the first game and late in the second game," he said. "Tonight, they just looked a little bit uncomfortable."

In the third and fourth games, Vikings Serena LeDuff, Alexa Schmidt and Sierra Sanchez began to help Ellias up front, while libero Brooke Dawson and setter Carly Carapella put on a defensive clinic.

The Wildcats countered with Bree Braucher and Angel Rutledge up front, with libero Shelby Kunz and setter Tani Slauson making acrobatic digs on the back line as the teams traded points.

In the fifth and final game, West Ranch came out strong and immediately built a 5-1 lead.

"We stay aggressive and we will win," said Sparks, recounting his message to the team.

Valencia later narrowed the gap, but it wasn't enough.

As a team, West Ranch recorded 19 blocks. Braucher finished five kills, nine blocks and six aces, Orlandi added six blocks, Slauson had 41 assists and Kunz recorded 20 digs.

Ellias had 11 kills and seven blocks, LeDuff had 10 kills, Sanchez posted 11 kills and Carapella finished with 38 assists. Schmidt recorded 10 kills and four blocks.

After Tuesday's matches, Saugus, West Ranch and Valencia are all tied for first place in league play.

"The great thing about this whole situation is we are in complete control," Ray Sanchez said. "We win and we'll be fine."