Pine Creek needed a full game to shake off the rust left over from a two-week layoff.

But when the Eagles’ trio of big hitters started firing on all cylinders, Pikes Peak No. 1 teams Pine Creek and Doherty put on a supercharged display of volleyball Friday night in front of an electric crowd of more than 550 that ended appropriately in a back-and-forth fifth game.

As heartbeats began to slow, the Eagles celebrated a 15-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19, 15-12 victory and their second straight 5A Metro League championship.

But they sure took the hard road getting there.

Pine Creek’s Simmone Collins, left, and Lindsay Weaver blocked a shot by Doherty’s Cierra Simpson in Friday night’s 5A Metro volleyball match at Doherty. Pine Creek won to capture its second straight 5A Metro League title. Photo by CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE