MISHAWAKA – It was a really good “Day” Saturday for the Warsaw volleyball team.

Lexie Day made sure of that for her team.

Day delivered time and time again as the Tigers showed plenty of promise and perseverance to finish as runner-up in the eight-team Mishawaka Invitational.

Warsaw, despite being shorthanded, won its pool with a 3-0 mark before falling to Mishawaka Marian in the title match of the annual tourney held at John Young Middle School.

Marian defeated the Tigers 25-23, 25-20 in the championship matchup.

The Knights, who went 24-5 and lost in a Class 3-A semistate semifinal in 2016, beat host Mishawaka, Northwestern and Lafayette Harrison to win their pool.

The trio of senior Day, junior Kacy Bragg and junior Katie Swanson each had five kills to lead the way for Warsaw in the finale. Bragg also had 12 assists, while senior Hanna Leach had four aces and freshman Elizabeth Schmidt two. Junior libero Erin Peugh led the defense with eight digs and Schmidt had six. Freshman Betty Barnett had two total blocks.

Junior Bella Ravotto led Marian in the title match win with 10 kills and two blocks. Kassidy Chudzicki, one of five seniors for coach Dan Anderson’s team, had six kills and 10 digs.

Marian improves to 7-0 on the season.

Warsaw, which was coming off a home loss to Homestead on Monday night, was gritty in pool play.

The Tigers beat South Bend St. Joseph 2-0 before rallying to beat perennial power Carmel and conference rival Elkhart Memorial by 2-1 finals.

Warsaw opened action with a 25-17, 25-22 win over St. Joe. Day slammed down 13 kills and also had 10 digs to open the tourney. Barnett had five kills and Bragg 19 assists in the win. Peugh piled up 14 digs and Schmidt added nine. Schmidt and Barnett each had an ace, while Swanson, Bragg and Barnett each had two blocks.

The Tigers really showed their heart and hustle to knock off Carmel in their second match in pool play. Carmel won the first set 25-21 and led late in the second set before Warsaw staved off a couple of match points to earn a 29-27 win. The Tigers took an 11-9 lead in the deciding game behind two huge aces from Peugh. Carmel tied it at 11-11 before Warsaw claimed the next three points and went on for a 15-12 win.

Day was big again with 12 kills in the win over a Carmel team, featuring a huge frontline. Bragg added seven kills and Leach six. Bragg had 15 assists and Emali Grose 11. Peugh had 14 digs and Day 13.

The service line was huge for Warsaw in the win over the Greyhounds. The team racked up 10 total aces with Swanson outstanding with seven. Barnett finished with five total blocks, while Leach and four and Day and Bragg three each.

Warsaw ended pool play with a hard-fought 25-14, 20-25, 15-12 win over Memorial. Day had 14 kills and Leach eight. Bragg had 22 assists and Barnett nine. Day had 14 digs, while Peugh had 13 and Bragg 12. The trio of Peugh, Bragg and Schmidt each had a pair of aces. Bragg had four blocks and Barnett three.

Warsaw, with just one senior last year, was fourth in the Mishawaka Invite in 2016. The Tigers went 1-3 with a loss to Marian in the third-place match to complete the day.

Coach Rick Ashmore’s Tigers had three outstanding players on the bench in street clothes Saturday due to injuries. Nikki Parrett, one of four seniors, is still out due to offseason knee surgery. Junior Rachel Yeager is out for the season after having recent shoulder surgery, Kennedy Lauck, one of three outstanding freshmen on the team, also missed play Saturday due to an injury.

Warsaw, now 7-4, will begin conference play by hosting Elkhart Memorial Tuesday night.

The Tigers will then entertain league foe Goshen on Thursday evening in the Tiger Den.