Volleyball: Riverhawks Dominate in Sweep of Cruisers

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Two nights removed from a tough five-set loss in its season opener, Toledo pulled it all together with a strong serve game to sweep visiting Eatonville (25-20 25-19, 25-19) in non-league play Thursday.

Senior standout Brynn Williams led the Riverhawks with a team-high five kills and six aces to go with seven assists and three digs.

Bethany Bowen, usually known for her pitching prowess on the diamond, blasted four aces and added three assists and two kills. Stefa Arceo-Hansen tallied three aces, two digs and a kill.

Also contributing to the victory were Lyndzie Filla (four digs), Jordan Hensley (three aces and one kill), Eden Jones (two kills) and Whitney Olson, who notched a kill while playing up from junior varsity.

“We had a really strong serving game,” Toledo coach Brianna Klingberg said. “We were able to bounce back after Eatonville went on a couple runs.”

Toledo improves to 1-1 and hosts Morton-White Pass on Monday.

Vikings Surprise Bearcats

Mossyrock came blasting out the gate, handing W.F. West a defeat in four sets (25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16) in the Vikings’ season opener Thursday on the road.

It was a pleasant surprise for Mossyrock coach Alex Nelson and her team, who have been quarantined for the entire start of the season and haven’t practiced in several days leading up to Thursday’s match. But they didn’t want to risk having to reschedule and maybe never getting this game in, Nelson said.

Payton Torrey and Hailey Brooks were the stars for the Vikings, each smashing 19 kills as Mossyrock used excellent passing and serve-receive to surprise the Bearcats. 

“It was pretty impressive for our first night out,” Nelson said.

Torrey added 17 digs and Brooks had nine. Freshman setter Erin Cournyer stepped up and led the team with 20 assists, while fellow setter Caelyn Marshall handed out 13 assists. Paige Houghtelling tallied seven kills and Jolee Hadaller finished with five.



“This says a lot about how committed they are to the game,” Nelson said of her team. “I’ve got a good team and I’m excited for the season.”

For the Bearcats, Morgan Rogerson led with seven kills on 14 attempts and was praised by coach Robert Lucas for both her hitting and defense. Maggie Busse had a team-high four aces. He also commended Amelia Etue, Ava Olsen and Anna White for their strong play at the net.

The Bearcats brightest spot was their serving, finishing with 94.6% as a team. W.F. West also saw improvement at the net, blocking nine shots.

“Mossyrock was digging everything,” Lucas said. “They’re a good team. Not one of their players wasn’t playing aggressively. This one stings but we can rebound.”

W.F. West (1-2) travels to Tumwater on Tuesday. Mossyrock (1-0) heads to Naselle on Tuesday.

Acorns Fall in Tight Season Opener With Muckleshoot

Oakville had a handful of strong performances Thursday night, but came up just short at home in a season-opening four-set loss, 25-20, 25-11, 23-25, 25-17, with Muckleshoot Tribal School in 1B volleyball action.

“The whole team worked really hard tonight,” Acorn coach Shawna Howe said. “Even though they didn’t win the match, they fought.”

Morgan Kimbrel had four aces, while Bella Douillard had a pair of aces and dished out plenty of assists, Howe said. 

Natalie Atkins added two aces, and Mckayla Roberts played well at the net. 

“She had constant coverage on the net with blocks and kills,” Howe said. “She was there covering constantly. They all did amazing things.”

Oakville (0-1) plays at Taholah on Thursday, Sept. 23.