But the definition of “a specialized defensive player who wears a different color jersey and is a back row player” pretty much sums up Tucker’s game.

“I started as a libero this year; it’s been a difficult transition, but I’ve been working hard and I think it’s showing on the court. I’m doing my best and I think I’m getting there,” Tucker said. “As a libero, I have that back row; I have that serve-receive and it starts with me, with a pass I’ve got to get.”

Tucker fulfilled that role with a high degree of distinction Tuesday at Clearfield, dialing up 17 digs, as the Knights edged the Falcons 3-2 (20-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-15, 17-15) in a Region 5 dandy.

“Talking to your defense, telling them where to line up. You’re covering the ball, you’re digging the ball. Telling your hitter where to hit. You’re everywhere,” Tucker said. “You need your teammates to trust you and you need to be able to trust your teammates.”

BOB JUDSON, Special to the Standard-Examiner

Sophomore Northridge teammate Brooklyn Mayfield finally put the Falcons away with a deftly placed dagger, barely over the left corner of the net for the fifth set overtime winner.

That set featured 19 ties or lead changes before the Knights prevailed.

“Personally, it is stressful when you’re out on the court and thinking ‘I don’t want to be the one to mess up,'” Tucker said. “But realize volleyball is a game of mistakes. It’s OK if you mess up; you have to brush that off and the next point is yours.”

There were a lot of opportunities to mess up or step up before that final set tie-breaker.

Clearfield (3-4, 0-2 Region 5) took the first set, finishing on a 20-9 run after trailing 11-5. Senior middle blocker Maggie Borchert had a string of six straight service points to help the Falcons over the top.

Although Northridge (9-7, 2-0) won set two, Clearfield’s Reagan Ford also smashed six straight from the service line.

“We’ve worked hard on serve and serve-receive in practice. We need to do that well to run our offense,” Clearfield coach Brooke Pehrson said. “Our girls have done a good job of going back to the service line with a killer mindset that they want to get an ace.”

Ford and Borchert both had three aces for the Falcons.

The Falcons went up two sets to one, capturing set three, and appeared poised to close out the match before Northridge rallied with a blistering attack in the fourth frame, forcing a deciding fifth set.

“Every game, the girls know I expect 100%, no matter what the score is. They don’t give up until there’s a 25 on that scoreboard,” Northridge coach Kait Hyde said. “We’ve had some roller coaster moments and they’ve been able to pull through.

“Stuff inside the volleyball court and outside … they’ve come together,” Hyde added.

Tucker was also happy with how Northridge jelled to even the match at two sets apiece.

“When you’re down, it’s just play your heart out. Whether you win or lose-one of those things is going to happen-if you lose, you have to go out leaving it all on the court,” Tucker said. “When you have that mindset, you’re more likely to come back winning because the other team is thinking they have it in the bag. It’s like ‘you haven’t won yet; we’re still going to put up a fight.'”

Pehrson was surprised at Clearfield’s fourth-set deficit.

“I told my girls we were doing really good things. I looked at the score and was kind of shocked. I didn’t think it was that big of a difference. What killed us is we didn’t score. We were digging; we were getting touches. Doing all the right things … we just have to finish on that offensive side of things.”

Amoree Scholer hit 14 kills and libero Erin Lowry had 23 digs in the losing effort for the Falcons.

Set five was a classic, where Hyde and Pehrson exhausted all their timeouts as the teams traded ties and leads down the stretch.

Knotted at 15-all, Northridge nabbed the next two points for the win.

“I was letting them know I believe in them; pulling them aside, giving them a minute to breathe and kind of reset themselves,” Hyde said. “Giving them a chance to say they trust each other and giving myself a chance to tell them I trust them too.”

Morgan Hale had 10 kills for the Knights and Lia Brown checked in with seven more. Tucker also contributed five aces on the offensive side of the ball.

“Our coach calls a seam … A, B, C, or D — that’s a spot on the court. I take a deep breath and go back and hit that spot,” Tucker said. “I trust my coach to tell me where to serve.”

Northridge jumped yet another hurdle Tuesday, outlasting Clearfield in a gymnasium void of air conditioning on an 80-degree night.

“It’s really hot in here and they were able to overcome that adversity,” Hyde said. “I’m pumped right now. I’m emotional and so proud of my girls. I know they’re exhausted; they had a really long weekend (with a tournament) and they were able to overcome it.”