The squad hit a speed bump on its road to the North Division title last week, dropping its matches with the Edmonds College Tritons in straight sets; 25-19, 25-21, 25-23 and with Skagit Valley College similarly; 25-12, 25-22, 25-22.
Before the match with Edmonds, the Trojans were 2-0 in division play and flying high with a record of 17-5 and on pace for one of the best seasons in school history.
Head Coach Whitney Williams knew the game would be a good match for her squad.
“I think it’s going to be tough, Edmonds tonight is a really big deal…But I do think we have an opportunity here to win the north.”
The match with Edmonds also carries the weight of being a T Trophy rivalry match. Last season the Tritons won back the trophy after the Trojans held it the two seasons prior. The T Trophy is the annual competition between Edmonds and EvCC, points are awarded based on the results of every matchup between the two schools.
“Any rivalry game comes with its own fiery emotion and competitiveness,” Williams said.
The first set was a back and forth affair, tied 18-18 before the Tritons would score seven straight points to close the set out. Sophomore Malia Shepherd had six kills in the set for the Trojans. Shepherd had 21 total kills in the game and leads the NWAC with 340 kills this season.
In the third set, the Trojans made a good run to get back into the match. Once down 20-10, the Trojans battled back to get the set to 24-22 before ultimately losing the match and the game.
The Trojans looked to right the ship against a lacking Skagit Valley team but fell again. Shepherd was one of three players to have more than ten kill attempts. Along with Shepherd, freshman Jessica Eames was the only other Trojan to have double digit points.
The Trojans next two matches will be on Oct. 4th where they go on the road to take on 3-13 Olympic, before returning home on Friday, Oct. 6th to take on 17-4 Bellevue. Both matches start at 7 p.m.
