Volleyball: Eastside Catholic Upsets No. 1 West Seattle in the Battle of East vs. West

Last Saturday, the Crusaders took down the Wildcats at home in a major 3-1 upset over last season’s Metro League runners up, thanks in large part to efforts from seniors Lola Togia and Avery Merritt.

West Seattle came into the game ranked No. 1 in WIAA 3A as well as the top of the Metro League standings. The Crusaders came into the game tied for 3rd, so taking down the No. 1 team in the state added to the fire going into post season and extend the Crusaders’ 6-game winning streak to 7.

The Crusaders took the first and second sets before falling behind quickly in the third. Despite the Wildcats winning the third set, the Crusaders quickly got back to work and took the fourth to seal the game in a dominant fashion.

The Crusaders were led by Senior trio Lola Togia, Lauren Wiese, and Avery Merritt on offense. Togia totaled 35 assists, while Merritt totaled 20 kills and Wiese totaled 11. Defensively senior Libero, Leila Vierra, put up 17 digs while junior duo Lauren Rettkowski and Elaine Fareti-tuatoo both had12 digs each.

On the other hand the Wildcats were led by the powerful arm of sophomore outside hitter, Janie McCanna. Although she has seen a lot of success this season, her primary focus is actually beach volleyball for which she is being looked at by D1 Beach Volleyball programs.

The Crusaders will look to continue their winning streak by taking on Seattle Prep and Blanchet this week. The Wildcats will look to get things running again as they take on Blanchet and Holy Names Academy.