Oct. 27—Box Score
At Onalaska HS
LOGGERS 3, RIVERHAWKS 2
Toledo 16 23 25 26 12 — 2
Onalaska 25 25 19 24 15 — 3
ONALASKA — Early in the fifth set on Monday night, Onalaska looked like it was out of gas. The Loggers raced out to a two-set lead against Toledo, but they dropped the following two sets and now trailed by five in the match-deciding set.
Onalaska coach Susan Gordon called a timeout, trying to give her team a moment to regroup.
"There's nobody better than us if we believe in each other and trust each other," Gordon said.
After that timeout, Onalaska flipped the script, and the Loggers came back to beat Toledo 25-16, 25-23, 19-25, 24-26, 25-12, winning not just the match but also the Central 2B League title.
The Loggers and Riverhawks entered the game as the league's final unbeaten teams, and it's Onalaska that ends the season alone atop the standings.
"It's the team chemistry and the love that this team has for each other," Gordon said. "The respect and the belief in each other is what pulled them through. They weren't gonna lose."
The Onalaska offense had some lulls in the third and fourth sets, but when it was at its best, it was running through Emalie Jacoby and Braelyn Babb.
The two seniors combined for 45 assists (30 for Babb and 15 for Jacoby), and the difference in tempo between how the two run the offense made a massive difference throughout the game.
"(Emalie) runs an offense just so fast and is so knowledgeable about the game," Gordon said. "From a setting point of view, she can take the game to the next level. And that's pretty much what she did tonight.
"If you're focused with Braelyn setting, you're running different defensive schemes," Gordon continued. "Emalie takes over, and then by the time you're up to where you need to be, it's back to Braelyn."
Jacoby also delivered 31 kills, had 26 digs, and collected five aces, while Faith Hammer added 14 kills and seven blocks. Capri McGraw added eight kills and four aces, Ellie Jacoby tallied 34 digs, and Karsyn Koenig posted four blocks.
"We've got a lot of girls that can do a lot of things," Gordon said. "We just have to continue to exploit the things that they do well that maybe others haven't seen yet."
On the other side of the net, Ellie Fallon led the Riverhawks with 19 kills, 11 digs, and four aces, while Lexi Young added 12 kills and six digs.
Sidney Kruger dished out 39 assists and delivered three aces, Abby Umbriaco ended the night with five digs and two aces, and Taysia Miller posted five kills.
Toledo coach Whitney Nailon said that while her group could have played better at times throughout the game, she still feels that they are in a great spot overall heading into the postseason.
"I don't feel bad about anything we did tonight," Nailon said. "There's things we can clean up on, but we'll get there ... I feel good. I have no complaints."
Nailon called back to Toledo's win over Onalaska in a non-league matchup in late September, and she noted that she would feel confident in a potential rubber match in the district tournament or beyond.
For both the Riverhawks (13-3) and the Loggers (13-1), the district tournament will begin on Saturday.
The seeds for the district tournament have not been announced as of Monday night, but both Onalaska and Toledo are expected to be in contention, if not the favorites, to be the top two seeds and host their respective district quarterfinals.
That would give Onalaska's senior class of Jacoby, Babb, and Sommer Hammer one more game on their home court, but Monday served as their final regular season volleyball game in Onalaska.
It's Gordon's first senior class that she's had for all four years since she returned to Onalaska after her stint as the head coach at Centralia College.
"Coming back and having these three as leaders, they're phenomenal," Gordon said. "They gave everything back to me as far as why I coach. What they mean to me, I don't know if I put that into words."
If the Loggers and Riverhawks are able to win those quarterfinals, they'll both be one win away from the district title game and a state tournament berth.