Before Kentwood put the clamps on its third straight SPSL title, Kentlake’s Melissa Kozy delivered the performance Saturday’s volleyball tournament.

The 5-foot-11 senior racked up a school-record 32 kills in a five-game back-and-forth victory against Puyallup. Scores were 25-18, 21-25, 21-25, 27-25, 15-13.

Kozy’s 32 kills breaks the record previously held by Amanda Mach, who banged out 25 in 2000.

The win helped the Falcons secure the tournament’s No. 3 seed to district. And it wouldn’t have happened without Kozy, who proved to be Kentlake’s go-to-player down the stretch.

“Toward the end of the match, it was ‘Feed the ball to Melissa Kozy,’” Kentlake coach Shawna Behrens said. “That’s what we needed.”

Though Kentlake already had a district berth in hand regardless of the outcome against Puyallup, Kozy’s performance could not have come at a better time. The Falcons were swept by the Vikings during the regular season.

With Kozy geared up and in control, that wasn’t about to happen again.

“I think we wanted it more than any other game,” Kozy said. “League games are one thing, but once you get to postseason, everything is for state. It just hits home.”

Staff writer Erick Walker can be e-mailed at ewalker@reporternewspapers.com