TOLEDO — The even sets looked great and the odd ones less so for the Toledo volleyball team Thursday, but the Riverhawks worked through it all and came out with a four-set win over Morton-White Pass, 25-23, 25-11, 18-25, 25-13.
“We weren’t talking, we weren’t moving, we weren’t being as aggressive as we needed to be,” Toledo coach Kelli Larson said. “But when we were talking and moving, things went pretty well.”
Eighth grader Ellie Fallon posted 19 kills to lead the Riverhawks on offense, on a .304 hitting percentage. She also racked up 26 digs and two blocks on defense.
“She just plays with such confidence,” Larson said. “To me, she just fits right in. Sometimes she can be a little hesitant, but for the most part she’s one of our most aggressive. She can make a few errors and just keep swinging.”
Jordynne Hensley and Stefa Arceo-Hansen both had eight kills of their own for Toledo, and Irys DeAguero had five.
Libero Lyndzie Filla posted 40 digs in a monster defensive effort, leading the hosts in a match that featured a host of long, back-and-forth rallies. Arceo-Hansen had 29 digs as well, and Whitney Olson — who finished her night with 42 assists — had 22.
Senior Brynn Davis came off the bench to give the Riverhawks 10 digs.
“She came in and did a very good job defensively,” Larson said.
Despite jumping out to an early lead, Toledo let MWP come back in the first set, and ended up needing to go on a run over the final few points to squeak out the two-point win.
The second set went a whole lot smoother, with DeAguero — who doesn’t usually serve — getting her chance at the line and sparking a massive run that put things out of reach in a hurry.
But just as the Riverhawks were searching for their brooms, the T-Wolves (4-10, 0-7 C2BL) found their grip, turning things back on defensively and buckling down with a set full of rallies that only seemed to end when Toledo finally made an error.
“It’s not like they didn’t make mistakes in that set,” MWP coach Jamie Brazil said. “But they lifted each other up more, they worked together as a team. It brings it back to that positive mindset that we continuously work on.”
The MWP momentum wouldn’t last, though, with Toledo finding the groove it got into in the second set and rolling back in the fourth, ending the night on a dominant note.
Natalia Armstrong had 25 digs to lead the T-Wolves on defense. Kimberly Gilstrap had four kills and eight digs.
Maddie Clevenger and Ryelin Wiedenmann had three kills apiece, and Clevenger also sent back three blocks.
Toledo will take on Rainier on Saturday in a rare weekend league game, making up a postponed match from earlier in the season. That kicks off a tough final stretch to end the season for the Riverhawks, who currently occupy fifth place in the C2BL, with a matchup against Napavine on Tuesday and a huge finale against Onalaska next Thursday.
MWP will be back in action on Monday against Toutle Lake at White Pass.
