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WEIRTON -- The Toronto volleyball team had a chance to put Madonna away, however, the Red Knights were unable to do so and the Blue Dons took full advantage.
Toronto led 2-1 going into the fourth set, however, Madonna rallied to win the final two to come away with a 25-18, 14-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-12, in a varsity only match Wednesday night on Joanna Bernabei-McNamee Court inside the Bill Barrett Gymnasium.
"We are on a bit of a winning streak," first-year Madonna (7-9) head coach Jaedyn Hissam said. "We just had a five-set victory Monday against Beallsville. The girls remembered how good that felt, and they wanted to feel it again.
"We have grown tremendously since the last time I talked to you. We are an offensive powerhouse right now. I'm super happy with the progress we have made. We are building, and I'm excited for the rest of the season."
The Red Knights had the momentum going into the fourth set, however, the visitors from the Gem City were unable to keep it on their side as the hosts rallied to win the match and even the season series at 1-1.
"To be honest, my team did not block tonight," Toronto (5-14) head coach Lori Lynn Jackson said. "That was a big factor. We lost one of our blockers to a concussion, and we did not have anyone step up. We had no time to prepare. When you beat a team, 25-12, in a set, you should win the match."
Individually for Madonna, Geena Birkhimer recorded 10 blocks with seven assists, one assist, one dig, one ace and six kills, Rylee Birkhimer tallied one block with one assist, two assists, two aces and 25 kills and Sophie Boyd collected three blocks with four assists, 33 assists and three digs. Also for the victors, Chloe Orrechio contributed one assist, 12 digs, one ace and one kill, Jules Tomshack chipped in with nine blocks and five assists, and seven kills and Abigail Boyd delivered seven blocks with seven assists, one dig and one kill. Finally, Madi Owens added three digs, two aces and 10 kills, Hannah Dalfol finished with three digs and one ace and Peyton Conley ended up with one dig and two aces.
"They came out very confident," Jackson said. "Their hitters did not back down. They swung away."
The girls in white got off to a good start to the match as the hosts won the first set by eight points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
"We ran with the same lineup we could not use the first time we played them," Hissam said. "Sophie got hurt. We are working on consistency. That is our goal. We are not there yet, but we are definitely getting there."
Trailing 1-0, the Red Knights bounced back to win the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The visitors won the first one by 11 points before holding on and winning the second one by four points.
"At the beginning of the year, I was a new coach, we were doing new things and we were trying to get to know each other," Hissam said. "We have settled in, and we are more equipped to handle a five-set match.
"The girls are on fire. They are playing with a high amount of energy. We are an offensive powerhouse. We are on fire."
With their backs against the walls, the Blue Dons came out and turned the tide in the fourth set. Madonna built a lead, however, Toronto battled their way back into the set. The Red Knights closed to within two points, however, a serving error allowed the victors to win the set by three and to even the match at 2-all.
The Blue Dons took an early lead in the fifth, but once again the Red Knights fought back. The pressure was on, but Madonna did what it needed to do to win the set and the match.
"We won one early on against East Palestine," Jackson said about five-set matches. "It was early in the season, but we have lost all five of our other five-set matches."
The Red Knights are in the midst of a rebuilding season.
"I have been a player or a coach for 21 years," Jackson said. "A lot of it (five-set matches) is mental. You don't swing. You just rely on tips or free balls. You rely on the other team to make mistakes. An experienced team will come out swinging. I have said it all year that this is a rebuilding year. We are learning."
Madonna is scheduled to play Brooke tonight at home.
Toronto is slated to play Buckeye Local Tuesday night on the road. The JV is set to start at 5:30 p.m. The match was originally scheduled to be played today, however, it got rescheduled.
Today is the cutoff date for teams to qualify for the annual OVAC Tournament.