TORONTO — The Toronto volleyball team was pretty much in control from outset against Buckeye Local.

The Red Knights jumped out to an early lead against the Panthers in Game 1, and the hosts pulled away en route to seeping their Jefferson County foes, 25-18, 25-5, 25-10 Tuesday evening inside the George J. Kunzler Memorial Gymnasium.

“It was a great night for the girls,” first-year Toronto (3-1) head coach Shannon Bahen said. “We did not take our foot off the gas. We didn’t give them any easy points. The girls worked hard. Buckeye Local came back in the game. They battled back. They fought. It is a nice win.”

Buckeye Local entered the match coming off a good showing Monday at home en route to sweeping Brooke, however, the Panthers were never really able to get on track against the Red Knights.

“I thought in the first set we did a decent job, and then we dug ourselves a hole and we were never able to get out of that hole,” Buckeye Local (1-3) head coach Abbey Wilson said. “Toronto is a strong team. They have solid hitters at any point during the game.”

The Red Knights took an early lead in Game 1 before the girls in blue battled back. The visitors were able to close the gap, however, the hosts pulled away at the end of the game to win it by seven points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The girls in the white jerseys were in control throughout the second game as the Red Knights rolled to a 20-point win to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

“I knew they were a solid team,” Wilson said. “They have a good record. They beat a good Southern Local team. They are a strong team.”

The Panthers scored the first two points of the third game, however, the Red Knights stormed back to score the next 11 to build a nine-point advantage. Buckeye Local closed to within 12-6, but Toronto pulled away to win the game by 15 to sweep the match.

For Toronto, Gracee Rex recorded 21 digs, 10 points and one kill, Chloe Fisher finished with six kills, three aces and one block and Jaylee Brown chipped in with 12 points, three digs and one ace. Also, JJ Rebich contributed 11 assists and three points, Jayna Reeves produced eight kills and 10 digs and Kylie Mitchell tallied five kills and two blocks. Finally, Brynn Donnelly delivered seven assists and 15 points, and Haley Bodnar added five points and four digs.

“The girls are working hard,” Bahen said asked how things are going for her team so far this season. “We are trying to build a culture. The girls are responding. They’re buying in. We have made some position changes, and we have a new offense. They are buying in. We are trying to build a winning culture. The girls have to learn how to win.”

For Buckeye Local, Karlie Golver tallied nine digs, Sammi Westfall finished with seven assists and Jenna DelVecchio collected six kills.

“They have a girl who hits the ball down the line heavily,” Bahen said. “We play a cross-court defense.”

Toronto is scheduled to play Heartland Christian Thursday at home. The Lions defeated the Red Knights in four games last Wednesday at home. The locals are going to be out for a little revenge as they seek to even the season series.

“We’re going to try,” Bahen said.

Buckeye Local is slated to play East Liverpool Thursday on the road up at Potter Fieldhouse.

“There are a lot of positives that we saw today,” Wilson said. “I was pleased to see things the things we have worked on happen on the court. We can’t dwell on this loss. We have to get out of this hole. If we don’t, we will not be able to move forward. I have talked a lot about the mental aspect of things with the girls. We need to snap back after a mistake or a loss.”