“PRETTY DARN GOOD” DESPITE THE LOSS
October 7, 2026
Written by Brad Peters
RIVERSIDE: “We need to finish a little faster but overall the performance was pretty darn good,” said Jael Moore after her Wolves lost to Santiago. Indeed, though the score saw King fall to their Big VIII foes 1-3, (26-24, 23-25, 22-25, 15-25) the final talley hid the fact that the home team actually played well.
“We played as one team tonight,” said King head coach Michael Tongg. His mind reflected on the way the squad ran down balls, held long rallies togehter and played well at the net.
He added, “The energy the girls came to play with tonight was powerful and contagious.” Olivia Manley was exceptional on the night and voted as the Player of the Match by her teammates.
The team had solid defense, which coach Shannon Nielsen described as a “highlight” of match. “Our blockers and back row played well,” she added.
Santigo is a talented team and King played hard against them. Jael Moore led the team with 12 kills and 5 blocks, Caitlin Kiemele had 11 blocks, Brielle Thompson had 8 kills, 1 block, 14 digs and 3 aces, Brooklyn Nielsen had 15 digs.
“Tonight we showed the greatness of our team,” said Tongg. “We showed that we can play with the best of them and now they believe.” Sophia Manley said “I see one team out there not six players.”
In sports, the final score is something, but its not everything. The scoreboard on Tuesday night froze in Santiago’s favor, but the real win belonged to the Wolves.
King is 19-7 and 3-5 in league.
