It seemed to take the Napa High volleyball team a couple of games to find its groove Wednesday night, and for good reason.

The older seven players had butterflies from being honored during a pre-match Senior Night ceremony, and the younger seven were just dealing with the pressure of trying to put away cross-town rival Vintage in another tough Big Game match.

After squeaking out a win in Game 1 and clawing back from a game-long deficit in Game 2, the Indians dominated the finale, defeating the visiting Crushers 25-20, 28-26, 25-11 in a highly competitive match between playoff-bound teams.

Napa’s Tatum Souza led all hitters with 17 kills and four blocks, helping the Indians finish 15-0 in Monticello Empire League play and improve to 28-8 overall. But the high-flying senior didn’t come up with her most thunderous hits until Game 3.

“I think it was nerves mostly, being our last (regular-season) game, Senior Night,” Souza said, adding that Vintage (14-11 overall, 10-5 MEL) gave her team plenty of adversity before each team opens the postseason on Tuesday. “They came with some fight. They played hard and I was really happy about that. We needed to see good competition before the playoffs when you’ve got to play your hardest.”

Crushers coach Kate Gauger was pleased with the effort of her team, which played with a shuffled starting lineup due to the absence of one starter due to academic ineligibility.

“I’m extraordinarily proud of my players for their positiveness, their fight, their willingness to play their game, and their focus,” she said. “We’re in the playoffs so we’ve got our eyes on what’s next, and this was an opportunity to prepare for that. We’ve had a few changes in our lineup throughout the season, but everyone was ready to go tonight.”

A pair of kills each by Souza and junior Macie Schweizer helped build a 9-5 Napa lead in Game 1 that the Indians never reliniquished. Marissa Moultak (seven kills, 11 digs, three blocks), Olivia Olson (five kills, two blocks) and Jamie Ferolito (seven digs) helped the Crushers pull to within 17-16 as their star, junior Marlee Davis, struggled to get her hits inbounds. But Napa overcame four missed serves — twice as many as Vintage — to win the opener.

The defense of Napa’s Shannon Oga (23 digs, nine perfect passes) and Cheyenne Clark (13 digs) helped hold Davis at bay.

But Davis (eight kills, 18 digs, three aces) found her groove in Game 2, as did Moultak, thanks to the setting of senior Noelle Pahk (eight digs, 24 assists). After a Davis kill tied it 1-1 and Jessica Bruton served up a 3-1 lead, Vintage didn’t give up the lead until its late mistakes gave the Indians a 24-23 lead. Maggie Wessell ultimately sealed that win with a huge kill down the line and then a block.

Vintage missed five serves in Game 2, but Gauger didn’t fault her young, three-senior squad for giving that game away.

“That’s the nature of volleyball. This sport is emotional and volitale and momentum goes back and forth in seconds,” she said. “I think that happened to both teams tonight.”

The momentum seemed on Napa’s side in Game 3 after Wessell, Shannon Oga and Cassidy Wallace served up a 12-2 lead. Souza opened the finale by dialing in on a set that Wallace (32 assists, 16 serves, two aces) fed her from clear on the other side of the court, and ripping it to the floor.

Souza had two more big kills during a four-point service run by Oga that put the Indians ahead 8-1. But during a three-point service run by Wallace that made it 11-2, Souza drilled a kill so powerful that it ricocheted off a Vintage player, straight up and off Messner Gym’s high ceiling, and to the floor between some Crushers for a point.

Souza said Wallace made the ball easier to hit for her and fellow slugger Wessell, who had 13 kills.

“Cassidy’s setting was amazing tonight,” Souza said. “They were all perfect, all in great locations, so it was really easy for Maggie and I to hit over the block. We didn’t really have to worry about placement a lot, just firing away.”

Wallace had quite an arsenal to work with, with players such as Maggie Agardi, Paige Folger and Katie Morris also providing firepower, and so she doesn’t have to be perfect all the time.

“As a setter, what you want to do is be able to see the blockers on the other side so you can trick them,” Wallace explained. “But our hitters are all phenemomal, so smart. Even if I don’t give them a perfect set, I have full faith that they’ll know what to do with it.”

Napa co-coach Scott Kostecka said he liked how his team stayed the course despite having to call two timeouts.

“They were very calm,” said Kostecka, who returns the core of a team that finished second in both the Sac-Joaquin Section and Northern California last year. “We’re getting ready for our playoff run, so we’re kinda picking up our intensity and our focus. It’s nice that it’s finally here.”

Despite their perfect MEL run, Wallace said the Indians don’t think they’re where they need to be yet.

“We haven’t quite reached our peak yet, but we’ve been working hard in practice and you can see a change from the beginning of the season to now. Our work ethic is better and everyone’s heads are so much more in the game than before,” the senior said. “But we can’t get too overconfident. I think we were after the first game tonight. I know (the Crushers) wanted it, but we wanted it more.

“I was really happy with our confidence on the court, how we stayed mellow and all trusted each other. We knew someone would be there and not to freak out. We held it together all three games.”

Junior varsity

• Napa 2, Vintage 1

Jordan Crossley had 12 kills, 10 digs and three aces and Gianna Trzesniewski amassed 26 assists as the Indians wrapped up their fourth straight league title with a 23-25, 25-10, 15-6 victory over the visiting Crushers Wednesday night.

Emily Laskelle added seven kills and an ace for the Indians, who finished 30-4 overall and 15-0 in MEL play. Marcelina Zavala had three kills, and Emily Duncan added six perfect serve-receive passes, six digs and two aces.

For Vintage (7-8 MEL), Hannah Tremblay had seven kills, Rachel Schmidt had six kills and Morea Donahue served five aces.