Earlier in the day, the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association released their second Class B volleyball poll this season, with the Titans checking in at 7th with a 8-1-1 record.
Trinity showcased they were worthy of that position as they won yet another match in straight sets, defeating Hazen 3-0 Tuesday night in Dickinson.
It was the seventh time the Titans won a match in straight sets this season.
“We were aggressive on the service line, our server side passers were putting us on and making our hitters available,” Trinity head coach Breanna Sisson said. “Hazen did a good job defensively. Their blockers were amazing and tested our hitters.”
Trinity did what they do best, which is getting ahead of their opponents quickly. They were out to a 17-6 lead against the Bison in the first set. They extended their lead 21-11 before taking the set 25-18.
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The second set was more contested than the first as Hazen looked to spring an upset. But despite their best effort, a similar fate followed as set two went 25-20 in Trinity’s favor.
All night long the Titans’ setters were doing their jobs to put the hitters in the best position possible to send Hazen scrambling on their end. Senior setter Kali Kubas led the way with 27 assists.
Set three showcased the best the Titans had to offer, making diving saves and blocking nearly every spike the Bison attempted. After building an 18-9 lead they finished off Hazen for good 25-14 in the final set.
In the center of the action against the Bison was sophomore middle hitter Olivia Kessel, who contributed a team-high 14 kills. Standing at 5’10”, she is the Titans tallest player and holds down a critical role on one of the state’s best teams.
“She’s a very strong hitter,” Sisson said. “She was on varsity last year and we keep building her up into this varsity player and we like to use her a lot in the middle. She has a lot of depth and strength to her and she hits a lot of different shots that keeps the defense on their toes.”
Sophomore right side hitter Ava Jahner had the next highest amount of kills with 7, as did sophomore outside hitter Helena Pavek. Jahner also recorded 6 assists, 5 digs, and 3 blocks.
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No performance is perfect and Sisson wants to clean up the mistakes on their end if they are to compete for a state championship.
“There were hitting and service errors that we can clean up,” Sisson said. “That comes with chemistry and repetition and hopefully throughout the season build on that.”
TEAM STATS
Kills - Olivia Kessel, 14; Ava Jahner, Helena Pavek, 7; Kali Kubas, 4; Bella Kovash, 3; Melissa Zach, 1
Digs - Kubas, 12; Victoria Keller, 11; Jada Erie, 10; Jahner, 5; Jersey Erie, 3; Helena Pavek, Hope Fath, Kessel, 1
Assists - Kubas, 27; Jahner, 6; Fath, J. Erie, 1
Blocks - Jahner, 3; Kessel, 1
Aces - Kubas, 3; J. Erie, 2; Keller, 1
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AREA VOLLEYBALL SCORES
Beulah def. Beach 3-0, (25-9, 25-12, 25-18)
Team leaders: Kills - Riley Hauck, 3; Digs - Jenna Wojhan, Tyra Feldmann, Hauck, 7; Assists - Laiken Mahlum, 4; Blocks - Eliza Braden, 1; Aces - Hauck, 2
Grant County def. New England 3-1, (26-24, 24-26, 26-24, 25-20)
