HS Volleyball: Toutle Lake Denies Toledo Comeback in Five Set Thriller

10/16/25

(Toledo, WA) Central 2B volleyball took center stage on Thursday night in Toledo as the Riverhawks were at home hosting the Toutle Lake Ducks. With the teams both occupying spots in the top four in the league, seeding was on the line as the teams battled to try to earn some home playoff matches in the district tournament. Both teams had recent losses coming in so both would need this win to get back to their winning ways.

Toutle Lake 3, Toledo 2 (25-19, 25-14, 13-25, 19-25, 15-7)

Toutle Lake began the match with a four-point run to open up an early lead behind a run at the service line from Lainey Dean. Toledo cut into that deficit with a couple points in a row served by Bella Lawton. Two aces from Jillian Eytcheson helped the Ducks pull back ahead but the teams traded runs after that. Lainey Dean and Sophia Spinneberg played very well at the net for Toutle Lake but Toledo had answers from Lexi Young and Ellie Fallon. Too many service errors and miscommunications would end up costing Toledo as Toutle Lake pulled ahead to take the first set 25-19.

In the second set, Spienneberg began to dominate for Toutle Lake while Toledo continued to deal with self-induced errors. Toutle Lake started the set on a 5-0 run and never let Toledo get into a groove to fight back. Kendal Dean shared the love to multiple teammates with quite a few assists while Paige Parker controlled things on the backline for the Ducks. It was constant pressure from Toutle Lake and Toledo couldn’t handle it as the Ducks ran away with the second set 25-14 to take a 2-0 lead and give them a shot for the sweep.

Toutle Lake once again scored first in the third set but couldn’t go on a run as things went back and forth early on. Then, Bella Lawton went on a five point run at the line for Toledo but it was everyone getting involved for the Riverhawks. Ellie Fallon and Taysia Miller took over as the sophomore duo dominated at the net. It wasn’t just those two as Sidney Kruger and Lexi Young found success at the net while Abby Umbriaco and Brenna Carver stepped up everywhere on the court. A seven-point run from Fallon included three aces and allowed Toledo to run away with the third set 25-13 to keep the match alive.

In the fourth set Toledo would strike first but neither side could gain much separation as they answered run for run early. The difference in the fourth set was the service line as Toledo found much more success with six aces while Toutle Lake had none. There were some terrific rallies in the set but they kept going the way of the Riverhawks as Fallon and Miller continued their run of dominance. Toutle Lake kept on fighting but Toledo just wasn’t making anymore mistakes as they took the set 25-19 to send the match to a winner-take-all fifth set.

The two sides traded points early but Toledo had a slight edge with a 5-4 lead in the race to 15. Jillian Eytcheson would go back to the service line and used an ace as part of a seven-point run from the line. Lainey and Kendal Dean turned it up a notch while Sophia Spinneberg re-entered the match. However, it was Madelyn Ranta-Bratz who saved her best set for the fifth as she found great success at the net. That seven-point run gave Toutle Lake an 11-5 advantage and they cruised from there. The Ducks had to dig deep but stopped the Toledo comeback bid to win the fifth set 15-7 and take the match 3-2.

Our Thorbeckes MVP of the match went to Toutle Lake’s Jillian Eytcheson. The senior setter did a great job of mixing in her assists with explosive plays at the net. She also went on a pivotal run from the service line in the winner-take-all fifth set, serving seven consecutive points for the Ducks to help them pull away and earn the win.

The win moves Toutle Lake to 11-2 overall and 4-1 in Central 2B league play and keeps them in third place in the league. The Ducks will look to continue to build momentum on Tuesday at 7pm when they face the Adna Pirates on the road. Toledo drops to 11-3 overall and 2-3 in league play as the Riverhawks attempt to slow down their recent skid. They return to the court on Tuesday when they visit their crosstown rivals in Winlock at 7pm.

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