Tumwater Turns It On to Beat Timberline

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TUMWATER — The Tumwater volleyball team got into the win column in an energetic way, coming out four-set winners in front of a raucous home crowd 25-10, 25-20, 23-25, 25-11 over Timberline.

“They love the energy, they definitely feed off of it,” head coach Molly Cichosz said. “When it’s not there it does affect them, but we’re working on creating our own energy so we’re not relying on anyone else going forward.”

As the competing student sections got louder and louder, the Blazers fed off it as well, forcing a close second set before leading throughout the third. After being denied the sweep, the T-Birds had a couple minutes to right the ship and get back on the front foot, and Cichosz said it all started with their communication.

“Literally, when we communicate, everything tightens up,” she said. “It’s like we’re passing better, serving better, hitting better. Everything gets exponentially better.”

The team talk worked; come the fourth set, the Thunderbirds boomed out to an early 12-3 lead, and things never got any closer than that. After reaching match point at 24-9, Timberline staved off the inevitable for two points before Tumwater finally ended it.



Isabella Burney led Tumwater with 15 kills, while Zoe Giuntoli had 10 on .304 hitting; both of them also finished with three blocks. Emily Robello dished out 44 assists over the course of the four sets and added 13 digs, while Brooklyn Hayes led the defensive effort with 17 digs.

Tumwater (1-2) will face Capital — its fourth straight matchup against a higher-classification team Thursday, as the T-Birds run an early-season gauntlet ahead of 2A Evergreen Conference play.

“We have a lot of potential, and we’re working on how to put it all together and make it work as one,” Cichosz said. “We’re excited to see what the season holds.”