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The Northwest Trappers rang up four more wins last week to run their volleyball record to 23-4 for the season.
Two of the wins came at the expense of regional rivals Casper College and Sheridan College, keeping the Trappers perfect in conference play at 8-0. The other two wins came over the Great Falls College JV team.
All four wins were three-set sweeps, making it six matches in a row since they have lost a set. Since their last loss at Western Nebraska on Sept. 18, NWC has played 14 matches, losing only three sets while winning 42.
The Trappers’ toughest challenge in last week’s action came on Thursday from Casper College, the last team to take a set off Northwest. In that Oct. 3 match, Casper’s main hitter was out with an injury and the T-Birds were adjusting to the loss of a second player to a season-ending injury.
“(This time) Casper had their team back to 100 percent of what they will be the rest of the year,” NWC head coach Shaun Pohlman said.
The Thunderbirds led the first set by as many as four points, but the Trappers closed to an 8-8 tie. The teams battled through seven ties and four lead changes before NWC came from two points down to knot the score at 20.
Pohlman called a time out with his team down 23-20. They returned to the court and scored on an Aleksandra Djordjevic kill, but Casper scored a side out to give themselves a shot at set point.
Once again Djordjevic stepped up to stop the set from ending and Kaite Johnson tipped the ball to an open spot to tie the match at 24. Casper came back to score again and earn another chance at game point, but their serve sailed out of bounds, tying the score and putting Djordjevic at the service line. She responded with two serves Casper couldn’t handle and Northwest had a 27-25 set win.
Pohlman said Djordjevic has improved her serve, and this year has adopted an effective jump serve.
“Last year, I saw how she had good control of her serve, and I suggested she try a jump serve,” he said.
“She was unsure of it at first, but she worked at it and it’s really effective.”
The second set was tight up until a 19-19 tie. A pair of kills by Teodora Tepavac retook the lead for Northwest, but Casper answered with three straight points to lead by one. Aimee Molina served for two points to give the Trappers two chances at set point. Casper stopped one, but a kill by Johnson ended the set with a 25-13 Trapper win.
The final set seemed to be following the same path as the first two, but with Casper leading 9-7, Djordjevic again asserted herself, making a kill for a side out and then serving for four straight points. Kills by Lauga Gauta and Easton Clements, plus Tepavac’s tough serve, resulted in six more points and a 22-15 lead. Kills by Gauta and Djordjevic ended the match 25-17.
Djordjevic and Tepavac led the offense with 17 and 11 kills respectively. Jelena Slijepcevic assisted on 25 kills and Tela on 17.
Tepavac, Djordjevic, and Maliyah Tela made nine digs each and Aimee Molina contributed seven.
The Generals encountered bus trouble on Friday, which delayed their arrival and forced a time change.
Once the match started, the Trappers rolled. Northwest won 25-12, 25-18, 25-20 for a sixth consecutive sweep.
“They picked it up against Sheridan,” Pohlman said. “Lauga made 14 successful attacks in 16 attempts. That’s amazing accuracy.”
Djordjevic was the kill leader with 15, and other kills were credited to Tepavac, Tuiana Filiaga, Casey Rich, and Johnson. Trappers combined to serve nine aces.
Tepavac led with 12 digs and Djordjevic made 11. Others recording digs were Alye Wagner, Filiaga, Tela, Slijepcevic, Clements, Gauta and Molina.
Pohlman said Sheridan was without their starting setter and leading scorer due to an injury, and bus troubles probably had an affect on their play as well.
“I told the team, ‘I know this sounds weird, but that’s not the same team you’ll see at regionals,’” he said. “I don’t want them to get too comfortable and think they’ll have it easy at regionals.”
The Trappers beat Great Falls College JV Thursday evening (25-16, 25-14, 25-16) and Friday afternoon (25-13, 25-17, and 25-15).
Pohlman expects big challenges from Western Wyoming and Central as the Trappers hit the road this weekend.
The Trappers will be in Rock Springs Friday for a 7 p.m. match against Western Wyoming, and Riverton Saturday for a 3 p.m. match against Central Wyoming.
The Trappers will honor their sophomores in their last appearance at home on Tuesday, Oct. 27, when they take on the Rocky Mountain College JV team in a 7 p.m. match.