WESTPORT — They say you learn more from losing than you do from winning but the Staples girls volleyball team took a lot out of its win over Stamford in the FCIAC quarterfinals.

The Wreckers had a 2-0 lead in the match and a 20-8 advantage in the third before seeing the Black Knights rally to take the game 25-23. Staples eventually won the match 3-1 but the Wreckers saw firsthand that you can't give another playoff team an opening.

"It's a great lesson about resiliency and the emotion of the game," Staples head coach Jon Shepro said. "If you don't play with emotion, everything is off. Your swings don't snap the ball right, your steps are half a step short and your teammates don't hear you. Everything is just a little bit off when you're not playing like the way we played in the first two games."

Shepro added his team needs to maintain that emotional high all the way through.

Senior Anna Link, a team captain and outside hitter, said the Stamford test will serve them well as the Wreckers gear up for the FCIAC semifinals and states.

"We'll see some really, really talented teams so we just have to remember to not let our energy get down and stay focused," she said.