Default Sorting Issue

We are using Filter Everything for filtering our custom post type for events. We have customized the main WP_Query to exclude past events and order by start date (based on custom fields).

In the filter bar, we have a date range option. Although the date range is working, it apparently changes the ordering to title (alphabetical) instead of being ordered by the start date field (set by our main WP_Query) when you set the date range.

After filtering by date, the user can set the order using the Sort Widget. We have set the sorting widget up to sort by both start date and end date. Both of these options work great, when the user selects them. However, we are hoping there is a way to keep our custom ordering by default. Is there a way to force the sort order to be maintained (either by the our main WP_Query, the filter everything filter, or by the filter everything sort order customization)?

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