YAKIMA — Both Toledo and Morton finished one win shy of a trophy at the 2B and 1B State Tournaments in Yakima, as they both lost in four sets in elimination games on Thursday morning.
No. 9 Toledo fell to No. 4 Liberty Bell 18-25, 25-22, 16-25, 23-25, and No. 5 Morton lost to No. 8 Neah Bay 10-25, 21-25, 25-22, 14-25.
A win would have put Toledo into the 5th/6th game and would have guaranteed that the Riverhawks went home with a state trophy for the first time in school history.
Instead, for the second year in a row, Toledo fell just one win short of a trophy spot.
“It just didn’t turn out like we wanted,” Toledo coach Whitney Nailon said. “We worked really hard, and it sucks to end on a loss, but I hope that tonight they are able to reflect on what kind of season they had and what they were able to do.”
Nailon went on to add that she’s hopeful that the loss will motivate the group to improve over the summer heading into the 2027 season.
“Teams that bring home hardware show up to practice and in the offseason to get better,” Nailon said. “I’m hoping that this left Toledo athletes hungry to make the commitment for each other next season.”
Outside of two seniors, Lexi Butterworth and Stella Dykstra, the entire team is expected back, including the five juniors (Ellie Fallon, Taysia Miller, Abby Umbriaco, Lexi Young, and Brenna Carver) and one sophomore (Sidney Kruger) that make up the starting lineup.
After the game, Nailon commended all six of her starters.
“They all bring something different,” Nailon said. "Taysia is so gritty, and Abby is so incredible all the way around. Lexi is crafty, and Sidney got so smart with moving the ball around. Ellie is the horse that we rely on a lot, and Brenna, she does such a great job setting the block. It really does take every single one of them … We’re in a good place to just keep going next year.”
Full stats were unavailable, but Ellie Fallon tallied 18 kills, Taysia Miller added eight, and Sidney Kruger logged double-digit assists and “did a great job with giving opportunities to (Toledo’s) hitters.”
Toledo finishes the season 17-6 overall.
Shortly after Toledo’s loss, Morton was also eliminated. The Huskies finished one win shy of the 7th/8th game, which would have given Morton its first state trophy since 2003 (Morton/White Pass won a 2B state trophy in 2013).
“Super disappointed,” Brazil said. “We did not play to our level at all … Their emotions are up and down, and they just couldn’t regulate them. They played as individuals instead of playing as a team. This whole season, we talked about ‘we over me’ … I think the pressure of everything just got to them.”
Ryelin Wiedenmann finished with 11 kills, Chevy Fuller added seven, Kendall Cournyer tallied five, Layna Sams collected two, and Dymond Dygert chipped in two. Crystal Dygert finished with 19 assists.
Across Morton’s three games, the Dygert’s swept the sportsmanship awards, with Jewel Dygert receiving it after the Round of 16 matchup, Crystal Dygert receiving it after the Garfield-Palouse game, and Dymond Dygert earning it in the Neah Bay game.
Sams, Crystal Dygert, Wiedenmann, Cournyer, and Jewel Dygert all finished perfect from the service line on Thursday, and the latter received praise from Brazil postgame.
“Jewel really stepped up over this whole state tournament,” Brazil said. “It was good to see her energy and 100 percent effort.”
The Huskies finish their season 18-4 and will graduate three seniors: Wiedenmann, Cournyer, and Brooklyn Montoure.
Montoure was with the team in Yakima, but was unable to play due to an injury she sustained late in the season.
“It was heartbreaking honestly,” Brazil said. “She’s put in a lot of work, and she was the consistent outside (hitter) … I thought the girls did well trying to recover in her absence, but she’s definitely missed.”
Brazil added that she was grateful for the knowledge Cournyer brought to the team after joining around the midway point of the season, and she said it’s “devastating” that Wiedenmann is a senior.
“I’ve had such a great time with her,” Brazil said. “I love her, and it’s heartwrenching to have a player like her leave. But we’re also so proud to see what she does now. She’s definitely left her mark.”
Despite leaving Yakima without a trophy, Brazil said that she was proud of her group for the season as a whole, a campaign where they won a league and district title on their way to state.
“We have had a lot of adversity,” Brazil said. “We overcame it. League champs and district champs are pretty good for me. I’m happy with that. I hope to be back here next year.”
