DEMOPOLIS &8212; In only their second match of the year, the Sumter County High School volleyball team beat the hosting Demopolis High School Tigers in four games Tuesday.

The Tigers came into the game confident, but had trouble coming out on top on a streaky Wildcats team who picked up steam late in several of the matches.

The freshman and sophomore talent on the team came out and checked the Tiger confidence early, by winning the first game, 25-18. The opener was a give and take game, with the groups battling for one and two points at a time, until a six point Sumter streak gave the Wildcats the edge they carried to the win.

Demopolis countered in the second game, dominating their young opponent to a, 25-15, win. Much of the Tiger dominance sprang from the group&8217;s efforts at the serving line, where it racked up five of its six aces over the four-game match up.

The two groups again played tough in the third game, going back and forth all the way to a, 15-15, tie halfway through. Again, the Wildcats hit a six-point run they rode to a, 25-18, victory.

With the match on the line, Demopolis put up a strong effort in the final game, which looked like a Tiger win at one point. After the match was tied, 9-9, Demopolis got a, 13-10, edge that was quickly overran by a seven-point Sumter run, putting it 17-13.

The Tiger countered with a five-point run of their own to reclaim the lead, which they rode until it was 23-20. The Wildcats didn&8217;t role over and mounted a valiant rally to secure the match, holding Demopolis at 23 as they marched to 25.

Watkins and Katia May hit the two aces recorded by the Wildcats.

For Demopolis, Marshay Anthony hit three aces, Jasmine Simmons hit two and Joshalynn Lawson hit one.