Trotters beat Lady Bobcats

PLAINS - The Trotters have a win, and it came after a 5-game match over the Superior Lady Bobcats with a battle of net work, digging, and want. 

“They wanted it,” Coach Kim Earhart said. “They wanted to push. They stepped up. But I’ve been seeing that in practice, too. Superior has a lot of seniors, a lot more experienced players, and we have, you know, a younger team. This [win] was a huge boost for the morale of the girls, and they worked as a team to get it.”

The game started out with a bang, as the Trotters set up an even-keeled tempo that had the Lady Bobcats meeting them kill-for-kill, serve-for-serve. But with a few errors from the Lady Bobcats, and some aggressive work at the net led by sure-fire senior Jessica Hansen, the Trotters were able to pull off a win on the first set, 25-20. And then another set win, 25-18. 

“We definitely got more aces, and this week we went back to some basic fundamentals, which I think helped,” Coach Earhart said. “We also worked on building individuals, such as players who were ‘ok’ at some things, and good at others; we took them from ‘ok’ to ‘best effort.’”

In the third set, the Lady Bobcats came firing back with more powerful kills, led by senior Nicole Stroot, and the Trotters found her heat-packing performance a little rough to shake. Coupled with a few errors in communication between the girls, the Bobcats took the third set from the Trotters, 25-15. 

But the Trotters, or their thunderous fans, weren’t going to stand for that. The stands shook with anticipation, the voices and calls from fellow supportive students and proud parents echoed in the Plains School gym, and the girls were able to get their initial groove back. They met the Lady Bobcats ace-for-ace, then dig-for-kill. Junior Tia Thompson led the Trotters with digs, bringing in 19 of the 42-count team total. Nearly half. Corle Morefield also stepped up in the kills department, cutting in with 9 of the 37 team total. Morefield was much improved from previous games, according to Coach Earhart, and seemed much more aggressive with coming to the net. The fourth set went to the Lady Bobcats, 25-20, and it then it came down to the final draw.

Superior called the coin toss, and began the match with a powerful serve from senior Myranda Kuhl. The first few points of the game went to the Lady Bobcats, due to aces, but the Trotters weren’t giving up. They fought back with an intensity fueled by possibility - they were closer than they have been all season to a win, and they knew it. Their fans knew it. People were up off their feet for the final match, cheering, and above all - hoping. The Trotters were focused and poised for the plays that brought them up from 5-9. They soon surpassed the Lady Bobcats, 10-9 due to net work, thanks to senior Jessica Hansen and freshman Leah Thompson. Thompson’s wall of doom proved to be a game-changer for the Lady Bobcats, as she put in two blocks and a tip that mattered most to the Trotter defense. The Trotters then racked up more points with their passing and communication among themselves, with junior Felicia Earhart leading with set assists, 19 of the 35 team total. The Trotters were able to hold off the Lady Bobcats for the win, 15-11.

“Winning is not success,” Coach Earhart said. “But when we’ve come out as a team, communicate, and do a good job in those areas, that, to me is success. Superior has some girls who can hit hard. And we had some great digs, because it’s about digging, getting it up in the air for the offense to play it, and they did it.”