ADNA — The 2B District 4 Volleyball Tournament got underway Saturday morning with a pair of pigtails games in Adna, and the Onalaska Loggers earned the final quarterfinal spot in the top half of the bracket with a 25-14, 25-17, 25-21 win over Toledo.
The Loggers (13-5) were in control throughout most of the first two sets, building leads despite struggling with their energy levels early.
“It was just a weird game,” Onalaska coach Susan Gordon said. “We pulled it up a little bit here and there.”
Toledo didn’t go down quietly, however, as the Riverhawks took a lead early in the set and led 16-13 midway through.
Onalaska rattled off four straight points to force a timeout, however, a stretch that was the beginning of a 12-5 run to end the game.
“When it came down to it, I challenged them,” Gordon said. “That’s when they stepped up and put the game away … I liked that they never lost their focus on getting the win.”
Toledo coach Kelli Larson said that the Riverhawks were doing well enough to stay in the game, but they struggled with the pace and strength of the Onalaska offense.
“It’s just us gaining experience,” Larson said. “I thought they played very well … They kept swinging.”
A large part of this Toledo season was gaining experience, as the Riverhawks have six freshmen and two eighth-graders, many of whom saw playing time Saturday in Adna.
That group earned a playoff win prior to falling to Onalaska, as Toledo swept Chief Leschi 25-10, 25-13, 25-12 in the first pigtail game of the tournament to advance.
Across both games, Ellie Fallon had 23 digs, 11 kills, and eight aces. Abby Umbriaco also had 11 kills, and Lexi Young added 10. Sidney Kruger tallied 36 assists and 21 digs.
The Riverhawks finish their season 6-12 and will graduate no seniors.
As for the Loggers, it’s a quick turnaround, as they’ll face the unbeaten Adna Pirates in a district quarterfinal Saturday afternoon. The winner will advance to a winner-to-state semifinal, while the loser will have to win two straight elimination games to make it to state.
“We have nothing to lose, they have everything to lose,” Gordon said. “So we’re gonna play every ball as we can. If we’re on top, we’re on top. If we don’t but we fight as hard as we can, then we’re a winner too.”
