(Malvern) -- East Mills volleyball had its back against the wall on Monday night.

But as Wolverines typically do, they scratched and clawed. And that scrappiness ultimately put them in a regional final.

The Class 1A No. 10 Wolverines (30-8) played their best volleyball down the stretch to beat Westwood (16-14) in a thrilling five-set (25-20, 25-27, 23-25, 25-20, 15-5) Class 1A Region 7 semifinal heard on KMA-FM 99.1.

"It's a great feeling," East Mills Coach Connie Viner told KMA Sports after the win. "The girls just pushed through. Westwood is a great team. They made us work hard for everything we got. It just came down to us being relaxed and doing what we needed to do to finish it. It speaks to their grit, determination and perseverance. They wanted it really bad."

"I'm not gonna lie, I had some doubts," junior Ava Grindle said. "It was really about our mentality. We're winners -- and we want to win."

"We love to win," Ellie Hagen said. "No matter how down we are, we always push forward. We didn't want this season to end. We fought for each other."

The Wolverines found themselves down by six on two separate occasions in the first set. The latter deficit was followed by a 9-0 run that turned a 17-11 deficit into a 20-17 lead on their way to taking the set 25-20.

Westwood scored the first six points of the second set. East Mills eventually found its footing and took a 10-9 lead, extending that advantage to as many as six points at 20-14. However, Westwood hung around and fought off a pair of set points to win the frame 27-25.

In the third set, the two squads traded barbs early on. Westwood led by as many as four before East Mills went on a 6-1 run to take a 12-10 lead. The Wolverines once again created some separation, only for Westwood to storm back. This time, the Rebels battled back from an 18-13 deficit and scored the final four points of the set to take it 25-23.

East Mills' season was one set away from being over.

"We all went into the huddle," Hagen said. "I just said, 'Do we want this to end or do we want to keep going?' We knew we didn't want this season to end."

The Wolverines' fourth set was their crispest. Westwood scored the first point, but East Mills never trailed again, taking the frame 25-20 to force a fifth set.

In the decisive set, the Wolverines surrendered the first point but then put their foot on the gas with the next three. They continued to apply pressure from there, rolling to a 15-5 win to secure their spot in a regional final.

"We stayed aggressive," Viner said. "It goes back to playing to win rather than playing not to win. Everything just came together in the last set."

Grindle led East Mills with 12 kills, while Hagen added 10. Jacy Vandenberg contributed seven kills.

"I wasn't seeing a lot because it was hard to get a kill against them," Grindle said. "I just switched up my shots as much as possible. It was fun. This shows how gritty we are as a team."

"I knew I wasn't hitting well in the first few sets," Hagen said. "I just focused on passing and serve receive."

The win puts the Wolverines on the doorstep of a second consecutive state tournament trip. They'll get the chance to hang another banner on Wednesday night when they travel to Johnston for a regional final against Dunkerton.

"We have to stay mentally tough," Hagen said. "We have to keep fighting no matter what and play smart."

"This is a great opportunity for us," Viner said. "We'll look at film, practice and do everything we can to come out a winner."

View the full interviews with Grindle, Hagen and Coach Viner below.