Your future, our focus
Women Beat Trinidad State Junior College
By FRED MILLER
Powell Tribune Staff Writer
The Lady Trappers saw what college life is like in a big city during three days of play at a tournament in Thatcher, Ariz., last weekend.
The women won only one match of 10 during their time at the Eastern Arizona Invitational, head coach Jesseca Cross said, but their tight-knit playing impressed her.
The women took on teams from Idaho, Arizona and Texas. Casper College and Sheridan College volleyball teams also attended the tournament, though the Wyoming teams did not play against each other. In all, 13 teams took part in the event.
The preseason is now over, Cross said, and her team will focus on conference competition until regional tournaments begin in October.
Northwest beat Trinidad State Junior College, from Colorado, on Thursday, the first day of the tournament. Northwest won 33- 31, 30-27.
Trinidad was the third match of the day, and the Lady Trappers ended the day by playing host college Eastern Arizona.
"They really came back and played strong at the end of the day," Cross said.
Northwest won the first game 30-23, but lost the second and third 30-17 and 16-14. Despite the loss, Cross said her players put on their best passing game yet.
"It was the first time that we actually had everything together," Cross said.
Eastern Arizona's team is ranked 17th in the nation, and the Lady Trappers' ability to hold their own against them gives Cross a lot of hope for conference competition, she said.
Cross emphasized the experience the women had at the three-day tournament. They traveled to Arizona by airplane, Cross said. They stayed in a bed-and-breakfast, and they had a good chance to bond with one another.
It was "like going on a big family vacation," Cross said. The players got to see what college life is like in a big city. Many of the women have had few chances to travel far from rural areas, she said. She was thankful her players had the opportunity to travel to Arizona for the tournament.
"This was a huge trip," Cross said. "It involved way more than just playing volleyball."
On Friday, the women are scheduled to take on Central Wyoming College at home at 7 p.m. NWC Athletic Director Jim Zeigler said he is trying to reschedule the game for 4 p.m., and he would have more information available later about the rescheduling.
The women are slated to take on Sheridan College at home Saturday at 3 p.m., followed by the all-sport Trapper Rendezvous and Tailgate Party at the Park County Fairground's Multi-purpose Building at 6:30 p.m.