The Siuslaw Vikings volleyball team may have come up with an unusual battle cry:

"If we're sick, we'll take it out on you."

Makenzie York hammered 21 kills despite recovering from the flu, and fellow middle blocker Elyssa Rose pounded 13 kills, Thursday as the Vikings rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Douglas Trojans at Glenn Butler Court.

The win moved the Vikings to 4-0 in league, 6-4 overall, and sets up a showdown Tuesday with the second-place North Bend Bulldogs (3-1, 7-3) in North Bend.

"That was intense — whew!" Vikings coach Jon Hornung emoted after Thursday's win. "We're like the cardiac kids, every match."

Not quite every match. There was the sweep of Brookings-Harbor on Tuesday. But the other three league wins have all been 3-2, featuring big fifth-set performances by the Vikings.

"That was really good," sophomore outside hitter Jordan Long said. "Douglas was playing scrappy, but we stayed really positive and did a really good job."

Long played important rotations because her older sister, senior right side Brittany Long, missed the game due to the flu.

"I feel like I stepped it up a lot, and moved to the ball, and got my hits," Long said.

Hornung concurred.

"Jordan Long played amazing," he said. "It was fun to see her step it up. Jordan and Claire Waggoner had some real good points.

"Claire Waggoner may have played her best game, ever."

The win was a bit of payback for last season, when the Vikings lost both their matches with Douglas, including 3-2 at Butler Court when the Trojans rallied to sweep the final three sets.

"We don't give up, that's part of it," Hornung said. "A lot of teams would have folded, lost in four or whatever. But we just keep fighting."

The first-year Vikings coach was happy with his Vikings across the board, but there was no denying the 34 combined kills by York and Rose were difference makers.

"Elyssa and Mak were just crushing," he said. "They really stepped it up big time in the fifth set, and that was fun to see."

Rose had a couple of kills and assisted in a couple of blocked shots in the fifth set. She also had a pair of kills late in set four as the Vikings scored 5 of the final 6 points to earn a 25-18 win and force a fifth set.

"Our girls fought hard and never gave up," Douglas coach Carl Bone said. "We just had trouble handling their height when it came to crunch time."

York had six of her kills in the final set, including one that knocked over a Douglas player and one on an overpass that proved to be the match-winner.

"I don't know what it is, but whenever I'm sick I play better," York said. "I feel like we get warmed up by the fourth set, and then we get things done."

It's not a trend she would like to see continue.

"We're trying to get it done in three sets," York said, breaking into a weary smile. "We'll work on that."

On that, and perhaps a better battle cry, too.

NOTES

Douglas senior middle blocker Darian Mitchell had team highs of 18 kills and 7 aces, according to a team boxscore provided by Trojans veteran coach Carl Bone. ... Sophomore setter Molly Lavin-Williams had 31 assists and senior opposite Lainey Rincon had a team-high 25 digs. ...

Siuslaw is on the road for both its games next week, closing out the first half of league play Tuesday at North Bend and opening the second half Thursday against South Umpqua at Tri City. ...

The Vikings moved to No. 17 among 40 schools in the Oregon School Activities Association Class 4A rankings. ... North Bend is No. 16, while Sisters of the Sky-Em League is No. 1. ...

Complete OSAA Class 4A rankings are online at http://www.osaa.org/activities/vbl/rankings?div=4A