Plains wins first match

Jason Shueh

Valley Press

It was a scene of euphoria: With a height of almost six feet, Plains Trotter Emma Ehret lifted her teammate Chelsea Roosma into the air, her back arching, Roosma doing bicycle kicks and both laughing and smiling, completely overjoyed.

The celebration came after the Plains Trotters varsity volleyball team won their first match of the season, 3-1, against the Darby Lady Tigers. The match began with the Trotters coming out strong to win their first set 25-23 only to fall in the second set 26-24 as the Lady tigers responded to the upset. Undeterred, the trotters fought back to win the next two sets and the match with two identical scores of 25-23, 25-23.

“It felt amazing and now we have a taste of what it's like to win and now we're going to come back and win them all,” Roosma said once the game had ended. “We just kept going, we weren't going to lose it, we all just wanted it so we worked hard and got it.”

She said that it was the teams communication that separated this game from their previous games and was the cornerstone of their win. “All the girls did an amazing job we all worked together as one not six individuals.” Roosma said.

Sitting atop the bleachers Cookie Kunzer, the mother of Trotter Alexis Kunzer, had watched the team play intently thoughout the night. “Ccccoooooommmmee ooooonnnn Trrroooottteeerrrs!” she'd shout long and loud with almost every successful point. And in the times when leads were lost or serves didn't get across the net she would lower her head, raising clasped hand and repeat softly “C'mon, let them win, they deserve to win!”

“It was a very intense game for the girls as well as the fans. I was screaming, yelling and crying. It was just a mixture of emotions,” Kunzer said afterward. She said that she was proud of her daughter and hoped the win would bolster the team's confidence after this year's frustrating 1-6 season.

“It was about time that they got to enjoy themselves for as hard as they worked,” Kunzer said.

Coach Jesse Cahala was also thrilled with the girl's hard efforts throughout the night. Cahala reported that the team had 21 aces - Lacey Hermiston serving 10 of them - 19 digs, 13 assists, two blocks by Ehret and 23 kills with Ehret completing 10 of them.

“They could of let up a few times and they didn't. I hope they don't lose the taste of it. The team will tell us next game if they've really broke the mold,” she said. Her goal is to keep the team focused for the upcoming matches that she expects will be just as challenging, if not more so, than their game against Darby.

Trotters Kylee Knudson and Alexis Kunzer shared their Coaches' sentiments about the long road ahead. Kunzer explained that, though she was excited about the match and breaking the team's losing streak, there was still a lot of work to do. And Knudson said that, specifically, she felt that will probably have to refine their communication skills if they hope to continue winning.

“It's going to be hard because with other teams and it's going to be a little bit more of a challenge,” Knudson said.

The uphill battle probably waiting for the team didn't stop the Trotters from celebrating their hard work.

“They stuck it out and they fought to win,” Cahala said.