‘This is what it’s about.’ Dunbar and Douglass volleyball stage a thriller at The Farm.

Amid an electric atmosphere befitting its top-10 high school volleyball matchup, No. 9 Paul Laurence Dunbar rallied from two sets down to knock off No. 7 Frederick Douglass in a dramatic five-set thriller Thursday at The Farm.

The two-time defending 11th Region champion Bulldogs overcame a dangerous Broncos team who enjoyed raucous support from a large student section that included the Douglass pep band, an unusual sight at a regular-season volleyball game.

“I told them we were going to come into an environment that was not welcoming, and I don’t think I’ve ever coached a game where there’s been a pep band,” Dunbar coach Jenni Morgan said, smiling. “This is what it’s about. You want to watch volleyball grow, and it has. To come into an environment like this with two public schools is awesome.”

Douglass had its home faithful rocking early with 25-20 wins in each of the first two sets as Dunbar struggled to keep pace with the Broncos’ attack.

“Volleyball is a roller coaster and you’re going to have your highs and lows,” Morgan said. “We’ve been working on chemistry and trust. It’s a new team, and I tell them all the time … ‘If we focus on where we are now and continue to get better than we are going to head in the right direction.’”

Senior setter/opposite hitter Isabela Haggard said the Bulldogs’ rally didn’t begin in the third set. It began in the gym in the wake of losses to No. 2 Sacred Heart, No. 8 Manual and No. 10 Ryle over the last two weeks.

“We’ve set the expectation a little bit higher and we’ve been holding each other accountable,” said Haggard, who committed to Marquette this summer. “That game really showed it was literally a 1-to-16 effort. It wasn’t going to be just one person. It wasn’t going to be just two people. I think that’s what really changed. Our conversation after losing the second set (tonight) was different than when we lost the first two sets against Ryle and Manual.”

Dunbar (7-3) altered the tone of the match with set wins of 25-19 in the third and 25-18 in the fourth. The Bulldogs jumped on Douglass early in each and kept up the pressure.

Sadie Stuart, a junior middle hitter, delivered the kill that gave Dunbar match point at 15-14 in the race-to-15-by-two fifth set. She then got a block to win it.

“This is my first time being here since my freshman year, but I think we did a great job adapting to (the atmosphere),” Stuart said. “I think we’re all on the same wavelength. We all know when to calm down and when to get hyped.”

Both teams have difficult schedules ahead that include district opponents and ranked teams. The Bulldogs will take on No. 20 Lexington Catholic, No. 23 Great Crossing and No. 17 West Jessamine over the next two weeks and later have No. 4 St. Henry and No. 5 Mercy on tap. Douglass faces LexCath on Monday and West Jessamine a week later.

Though the Broncos (5-3) suffered their first loss to an in-state team, they have wins over two other ranked opponents — No. 12 North Oldham and Great Crossing. So Thursday’s loss is a setback, but it’s one Douglass can learn from, coach Nick Griffin said.

“We took our foot off the gas,” Griffin said. “Teams make adjustments. They did a good job attacking things that we weren’t doing. … We’re still trying to get over that hump. What I love about this team is that they keep responding each time we play. This is a moment where hopefully we can use that to push forward and be in a better spot for that next match.”