KEENE, N.H. – All-season long members of the Keene State women’s volleyball team wore warm-up jerseys with the slogan made famous by Boston Celtic star Kevin Garnett – “Anything is Possible.”

In took them 12 seasons, but the top-seeded Owls turned the impossible into the possible by winning their first-ever Little East Conference championship in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 victory over second seed UMass-Boston at Spaulding Gym on Saturday. The scores in the five-game cliff- hanger were 30-28, 21-25, 25-22, 17-25, and 17-15.

With the win the Owls (29-8) tied the program record for consecutive match wins (12). The Beacons (25-9) came into the match winners of 16 out of its last 17 matches.

After four closely-contested games had the two teams tied at two-all, the Beacons, also looking for their first LEC title, jumped out to an early 7-1 lead in the fifth and deciding game. The resilient Owls fought back to tie the game 12-12 on a kill by freshman hitter Bridget O’Bryant (Merrimack, N.H.) and took their first lead on a put back slam by junior setter Jordan Pokryfki (Wasillia, Alaska).

The teams traded points the rest of the way with each facing the reality of a match-ending point. Freshman hitter Kristen Girard (Tivoli, N.Y.) tied the game at 15-alll when her kill deflected off a Beacon player. The Owls took a 16-15 lead after Girard tipped the ball down the line.

On the next serve, UMB’s junior hitter Kate McWhorter (Bakersfield, Calif.) attempted to send the ball cross court for a tying point, but senior Brittany O’Bryant (Merrimack, N.H.), with arms out-stretched, blocked the ball to the floor giving the hosts the Little East Conference crown, and sending the team to the NCAA tournament.

Brittany O’Bryant describes the game winning point. “I just said I was going to go for everything. I blocked it and I just can’t believe what happened,” she said. It feels so good to be a senior and win.”

“I have never won a championship, so this was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Bridget O’Bryant. “I’m so proud of this team. We put all our heart into it. Most teams don’t come back from a 7-1 deficit in the fifth game, but we left it all on the floor. “

“We were down 7-1, but I didn’t see us going down like that,” said Keene State Coach Bob Weiner. “The play that got us back in the game was Sarah Peterson dove full out to get McWhorter’s kill attempt. We popped the ball up and we turned around and scored on it. That was the turning point. We weren’t going to lose after that. “

“It was a perfect ending to a perfect season,” said Pokryfki. “We were down in the fifth game and nobody gave up. I thank every single member of the team for that. We’ve been dreaming about this tournament the whole year and even though we were behind, we weren’t going to let it slip away from our fingers. We wanted it so badly.”

“I can’t explain the feeling said Peterson. “I’ve never been part of a championship team, so to come this far and win it like that I couldn’t ask for more. “

Keene State was making its second trip to the finals in the past four year. The Owls lost in the 2005 championship game (3-0) to Eastern Conn. Saturday’s improbable win helped erase the memories of last year’s tournament when the top-seed Owls were upset victims to Eastern Conn (3-2) in the semifinals.

The first game was a shoot-out. The game came down to the final two points with a pair of ball hitting errors by the Beacons giving KSC a 30-28 win. UMB pulled way for the Owls in the closing stages of game two, winning 25-21, to knot the match at one-all. KSC answered with a 25-22 victory in game three. A kill by Girard put the Owls up 24-21 and they held on for the win. The Beacons, who opened up a 13-6 lead, won the fourth game handily, setting up a winner-take all fifth game.

“These freshmen came in when I got here,” Weiner said. And to get to the NCAA while they’re still here, we made it work.”

Bridget O’Bryant led the Owls with a career high 29 kills. Girard had 14 kills. Senior libero Sarah Peterson (Danville, N.H.), who was named the tournament’s MVP and later selected as the conference’s defensive player of the year, had a strong performance on the back row, finishing with 38 digs. Pokryfki contributed 46 assists, and Brittany O’Bryant had a game-high five blocks. Both O’Bryant sisters and Pokryfki joined Peterson on the All-Conference teams that were announced after the match. Weiner was named the top coach in the conference after guiding Keene State to an undefeated Little East season.

McWhorter led the Beacons with 26 kills and five blocks. Junior Megan MacAuley (Upland, Calif.) had 30 digs and freshman setter Cassy Hanneman (Denver Colo.) finished with 46 assists. McWhorter and sophomore Nina Sullivan (Cheshire Conn.) were first-team picks, while Hanneman was a second-team selection.

The Owls will found out their NCAA opponent and match destination on Sunday. UMass Boston will await a possible at-large berth.