The Washington volleyball team practices each day wearing shirts that read, “Pressure creates diamonds.”

And in a dazzling five-set gem over a diamond-in-the-rough Linn-Mar squad Thursday night, the Warriors simply sparkled.

“I am super proud of these girls,” Washington Coach Kari Lombardi said after the regional semifinal victory that puts them a match away from the state tournament.

“They played tough all five games. Tonight, they were diamonds.”

Unranked Washington (28-13) now faces Class 5A second-ranked Pleasant Valley (36-1) Tuesday night at West Branch for the regional championship.

With just one senior on the roster, the young Lions from Linn-Mar were plenty splendid themselves in their season-ending loss.

Other than the first game, which Washington won 25-16 after leading all the way, the rest of the matches went back and forth.

Linn-Mar (15-21) bounced back to take the second game 25-21, rebounded from a 25-21 defeat in the third game with a 25-23 clutch win and then fell 16-14 in the decisive set after leading 14-13.

The Lions were one point away from winning the match.

“It was a tough loss,” said co-coach Erin Downing, whose team fell to the Wariors for the third time in less than two weeks. “But we executed and were solid all night. The girls played their hearts out.

"They fought and battled for every point. So I have no complaints.”

Downing and fellow former assistant Jenny Lucas took over the Linn-Mar team when they were 3-7 after head coach Rob Justis resigned under a cloud early in the season. The junior-laden squad has made remarkable progress since.

“Tonight, they applied every lesson we’ve been preaching all year,” said Downing. “They really came through.”

The only regret, she pointed out, was that the match was sealed when Washington’s Aleena Hobbs won the final point with a net serve that dribbled untouched to the floor.

“It’s too bad it ended without us getting a chance to return it,” Downing said. “But that’s just the luck of the game.”

It was pure tenacity on both sides, and not luck, that marked the first four games.

While the Warriors coasted in the opener, Linn-Mar jumped ahead 8-5 in the second game and held on the rest of the way. After the Warriors closed to 22-21, Lions senior Megan Allmandinger unleashed a ferocious spike to put the game away.

She repeated the slam in game four with her team sitting on a 23-23 lead.

“We’re going to miss her next year,” said Downing of the Grand View University recruit. “She’s a great player."

Allmandinger and sophomore Sami Boekhoeff each recorded 23 kills Wednesday night.

The  Warriors, meanwhile, were again led by a trio of junior heavy hitters in Hobbs (11 kills), Dani Franklin (17) and Kellie Walters (12). Hobbs and junior Alusa Gerhold had 21 digs, while Walters notched six aces in 28 serves.

It was with Franklin serving that Washington pulled away to victory in the third game after Linn-Mar cut the lead to 20-19. Franklin also smashed a back-breaking spike to put her team in the lead 15-14 in the finale.

“Coming back from being behind 11-8 in the last game showed some real resiliency,” said Lombardi. “I thought the girls played with mental toughness and a lot of heart all night.

“Give Linn-Mar credit, though. They came ready to play. They were prepared and played very well.”

Washington senior setter Hannah Reese, who led her team with 40 assists, said it was by far the best match the Warriors have played this year.

“We haven’t been to state since 1994,” she said. “That’s been our goal all year. We’ve played against real good competition, and we’ve been getting better at the end of the season.

“Like our shirts say, ‘Pressure creates diamonds.’ And Coach said tonight we really shined.”