TOPPENISH — The Ephrata Tigers dug deep Tuesday night, outlasting Toppenish in a five-set thriller to secure their second win of the season, 27-25, 20-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-10.

The victory improved Ephrata to 2-9 overall, showing growth and resilience down the stretch of Central Washington Athletic Conference play.

“We came out set one and found our footing and went on a good run of points, then we had a roller coaster of a second set,” said head coach Britney MacLeod. “We matched up pretty well with Toppenish and we had a lot of long rallies, and I’m really proud of how my kids pushed through those and never gave up on running the ball down.”

MacLeod highlighted several key performances in the win.

“Both Alexis Chornuk and Izzlee Haney had great games offensively, Faith Rodriguez did a great job controlling our back row and giving us ample opportunities to score,” she said. “Our setters found their groove in set three and connected a lot better with our hitters, Alyssa had 100-plus assists.”

Alexis Chornuk led the Tigers’ offensive charge with 17 kills and two blocks, while Izzlee Haney was close behind with 16 kills and three aces. Sidney Chornuk contributed across the board with six kills, 31 digs, and three aces, anchoring both the attack and the back row.

Setter Alyssa Dymarkowski orchestrated the offense with 37 assists and added 16 digs, while Faith Rodriguez recorded 25 digs to help sustain Ephrata’s defensive presence. Addison Vasquez and Alexis Chornuk each tallied two blocks at the net.

Serving consistency was another bright spot — Kennedy Shafer led the way with four aces, helping Ephrata control tempo in key stretches.

Looking ahead, MacLeod said her team’s focus remains on finishing strong. “We’re walking into Othello and Grandview, and these are very much winnable matches — it’s gonna come down to execution,” she said. “Our goals to finish are to play smart, out-hustle our opponents, and play with grit.”

Ephrata now turns its focus to Senior Night on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m., when the Tigers host Othello (5-8) in their final home match of the regular season.

“Some of these kids I had on my club team when they were 11, so it’s been really fun to watch them grow on and off the court,” MacLeod said. “Senior Night is always special, it’s a chance to recognize how hard they’ve worked and to thank them for their contribution to our program.”