One win doesn’t define a season, but it can turn one around in a hurry. That’s what Manitou Springs volleyball is hoping for.

The Mustangs (2-6, 1-1 3A Tri-Peaks) showed equal part grit and resilience in a 16-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12 home victory over rival St. Mary’s (6-2, 2-1) Tuesday night.

Manitou Springs was playing catch-up essentially the entire match, but never gave in.

“This is going to be a pivotal point for us,” Manitou Springs senior Shelby Hard said. “This team has an insane amount of heart, and I don’t think we even showed all of it tonight.”

Hard had 10 kills for the Mustangs, while fellow middle hitter Alex Riley ruled the net with five solo blocks and outside hitter McKayla Cully had a team-high 10 kills.

It took everything in the Manitou Springs repertoire to finally put away the team it loves to beat more than any other.

“We fought harder tonight than we have so far this season,” Cully said. “We want to treat every team we play going forward like they’re St. Mary’s. This one always means more than other matches on the schedule, and we deserved this win because we worked hard for it.”

Riley made several key plays at the net throughout the match, specifically in the fifth set. She helped the Mustangs pull away after St. Mary’s tied the last set at nine.

“This win can set the pace for the rest of the season,” she said. “We knew that it would take every ounce of effort we had, and that we had to go out and do what we’ve been practicing, and we did.”

The Pirates cruised in the first set, and built a lead in the second, appearing to be on the way to their first conference victory over Manitou Springs since 2012.

However, St. Mary’s allowed the Mustangs to tie the match two separate times, and then faltered in the decisive fifth set.

“We got a little complacent, and they took advantage of it,” St. Mary’s coach Chris Sweeney said. “They kept their energy up the whole time, and we didn’t. We need to be able to serve the ball inbounds when we have a lead, and take care of the small things.”

St. Mary’s senior libero Emily Broerman said it was fun to play in a loud atmosphere, but that the team has to learn how to execute better with a crowd.

“We walked into the locker room and said to each other that we need to use this as a learning experience,” Broerman said. “Manitou brought their best tonight, and we didn’t, so props to them. But we’ll use this as motivation, and sky rocket after this.”