TRIPOLI - Nearly three years removed from coaching her last volleyball match at Tripoli, Teresa Kehe will occasionally pop in the tape of her squad's epic 2005 Class 1A state title match against Treynor.

"I've seen it several times," said Kehe, who will begin her third season as head coach at Loras College this fall.

"It's still amazing to this day what our kids were able to do."

Prior to that match, Tripoli had never rallied from a 2-0 deficit during Kehe's 23-year tenure at the school.

But on this November night, Tripoli fought back from two games and four match points in the fifth game to register its third consecutive state championship.

A day after clawing past Holy Trinity in a back-and-forth, five-game semifinal tussle that lasted nearly two hours, No. 1 Tripoli had to regroup for No. 2 Treynor - a team that breezed into the finals.

The match lived up to the hype … and then some.

Treynor seized the momentum early, squeaking out 25-23 victories in the first two games.

"In those moments, deep down, you wonder if we could come back," Kehe said. "Outwardly, I wouldn't ever let my kids think that.

"We just kept believing in each other. They knew I believed in them, but it was a tall task."

Led by Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year Alicia Johnson and super soph Tiffany Nilges, the Panthers mounted their comeback.

Despite being undersized, Tripoli recorded 18 team blocks to roll in Game 3, 25-14. Freshman Liz Platte had seven blocks off the bench to spur the Panthers.

Tripoli carried the momentum into Game 4. After falling behind early, the Panthers scored 12 of 13 points in one span to claim a 25-18 win and even the match.

"We were definitely undersized and not as balanced as some teams as we had in the past, but I just remember how much heart our kids showed," Kehe said. "That's what carried us through a lot of that tournament. It particularly showed through that match.

"They weren't going to be the ones to stop the run. We had four seniors that were extremely determined to make sure their senior year was going to end on a high."

The fifth game was a see-saw battle, with neither team able to estalish a significant run. Tripoli had the first match point at 14-13 before one of the strangest moments in recent state tournament history took place.

As Tripoli setter Desiree Andreassen set the ball to Johnson, who won three state titles during her career, the 5-foot-11 middle hitter was primed to spike it and end the match.

Instead, Johnson went up and caught the ball in mid-air.

"I swore I heard a whistle," Johnson said after the match. "I guess my mind fooled me on that one. I felt like an idiot."

The miscue rattled Johnson for the next several points, but Nilges - who will be a freshman at the University of Iowa this fall - and her teammates came to the rescue. Nilges had 20 kills, 19 digs and 8 1/2 blocks, while Andreassen, Kahri Heinemann, Courtney Chapin and Ashley Figanbaum were steady.

"Tiffany just took charge," Kehe said, "but the recovery was amazing and how we handled the situation and stuck with the game and kept working.

"It's a true test when something like that happens to a player, other players picked her up."

Still, Treynor had match points at 15-14, 16-15, 17-16 and 18-17. Tripoli fought each one off.

"It was about as scary and nerve-racking an experience as I can remember on a volleyball court," Nilges said. "We just kept pushing. We were extremely disciplined, and we showed a lot of heart."

And when Tripoli called on Johnson again, she delivered.

Tied at 19-all, she hammered her 35th kill to make it 20-19. Then on its third match point, Tripoli sealed the 117-minute marathon when Treynor's Lea Hartigan saw her attack sail long.

"Obviously, it was a nail-biter, exciting and an edge-of-your-seat match," said Kehe, whose program earned its sixth state title in seven seasons. "We just had to persevere."

Johnson had 95 kills in the tournament and was named captain of the 1A squad for a third time. In addition to her kill total, she also had 16 digs, six ace serves and three blocks in the title match.

"I don't think it was a matter of us being better than Treynor," said Johnson, who started her college career at Iowa before transferring to Northwest Missouri State and now has moved on to Southern Illinois. "It was just a case of two teams being evenly matched."

Treynor coach Gail Hartigan agreed.

"In the end, we played a great team and two great individuals," she said.

Kehe, meanwhile, didn't realize that would be the end of her time at Tripoli. Later that year, she accepted the position at Loras.

"It's definitely special," she said. "Each of my groups were, and I'm still in touch with a lot of those kids from five, 10 years ago.

"That match, though, was the toughest match of all of them. It was a lot of fun to watch that group."

Johnson left the U.S. Cellular Center that night exhausted with tears rolling down her cheek.

"It's the most memorable match of my life," Johnson said. "It will be difficult for anything to top it."

Contact Matt Coss at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com