Article posted from Williston Herald. Written by Analicia Haynes
When asked what it’s like to be able to coach kids who want to win, Luanne Axelson, the head coach for the Trenton volleyball team, said there is more to winning than actually wanting to win.
She said every kid that goes into a game wants to win, but it’s whether they are willing to put in the time to win that matters.
And on Nov. 2 at Trenton High School, the Lady Tigers proved that they not only wanted to win but they did put in the time to win.
The Trenton Tigers are the 2020 District 15 Tournament Champions after they defeated Williston Trinity Christian Monday night in what was an incredible match.
The game went into four sets and the No. 1 seed (Trenton) and the No. 2 seed (Trinity) were neck and neck for the first two.
From the beginning, the Lady Crusaders and the Lady Tigers both made it clear that they were not going down without a fight.
And a fight it was.
Long volleys in all four sets extended the match, but it was the first two sets that set the tone for the game.
In the first set, both teams fought for the lead, constantly tying up the score and forcing errors on one another.
And after Trinity was able to catch up to Trenton and tie the score one last time at 24-24, it seemed like the Lady Crusaders were going to win it.
But Trenton had other plans and after a breath-holding few volleys the Lady Tigers held Trinity back and won the set 26-24.
It was an intense start to the game, and leaders on both teams like Trenton’s Jacee Turcotte and Alyssa and Alexa St. Pierre and Trinity’s Ellie Haskins, Annie Vaughn and Molly Setchfield racked up a slew of individual stats and points for their teams.
The intensity of the game continued into the second set, which was another long volley, back-and-forth kind of set.
Both teams fought for a lead, but Trinity Christian did something not many other teams were able to do this season.
They shook up Trenton.
The Lady Tigers started making errors in the second set that were out of character for them.
The Lady Crusaders also had their fair share of errors, however, Trenton’s slip-ups were the motivation Trinity needed to maintain a lead in the second set.
But Trenton caught up, quickly.
They managed to keep the Lady Crusaders stuck at the 24-point mark while they inched closer to tying the set, but Trinity pulled through for the 25-22 win.
Axelson said the second set was the way it was because Trenton briefly lost their momentum or the fire that they had when they started the game.
“You have to play the game of volleyball with emotion or it gets ugly, as our second game was,” Axelson said. “I thought we came out right away with a lot of fire but that second game was kind of a let down and that’s been a common thing for us this season so we have to change that and be able to carry that momentum (throughout the match).”
The Lady Crusaders earned their 25-22 win in the second set. They had a few kills not to mention a few aces of their own.
They were also able to block several of Turcotte’s would-be kills and were quick to tip the ball back over.
This was something Trinity head coach Brandy Vaughn and assistant coach Beth Zarling noted at the end of the match.
“The first two sets were the best games of the season,” Zarling said.
But Trenton is undefeated in the district for a reason.
The Lady Tigers turned things around and pushed the Lady Crusaders up against the wall in the third and fourth sets.
Kills and blocks were in Trenton’s favor and it looked like they found the fire that Axelson said they had in the first set.
Trenton did not give Trinity a chance to catch up in the third set and went on to win 25-12.
The vibe was the same in the final set and in the end Trenton won the fourth set 25-14.
Overall, Axelson said as her team prepares for the Class B Region 8 Volleyball Tournament, there are a few things that they can improve on.
First, she said she wants them to make sure they maintain their momentum throughout the entire game.
“It’s within them to do it,” Axelson said regarding the fire or momentum her team has. “They need to find it in their veteran team.”
Second, she also said that they will continue to work on their serve-receive.
“In that second game we didn’t pass well and we didn’t serve well,” Axelson said. “So we’ll always be working on those two things (momentum and serve-receive). It doesn’t matter how good your hitters are if you can’t pass the ball to your setter.”
But Trenton is a great team and proved Monday night that they have a shot at being named the Region 8 champs.
Vaughn and Zarling said overall, they played well as a team and communicated effectively on the court despite what they said were bumps in the road.
“Trenton is a good team…they have a lot of different things in their tool belt and they just got the better of us tonight,” Zarling said.
Although they were the runner-ups, Vaughn said next year is going to be their season.
Zarling said that it’s because everyone is returning and they are all going to have more experience.
“It’s the same team working together,” Vaughn said. “We’re not losing anybody. We’re excited for next year.”
Axelson said that as a coach, it’s a joy to be able to work with kids who want to win, and the Trenton girls have shown all season that they want to win.
“As a coach, you love working with those kids that are spending (time) after practices to take 10 more serves or 20 more serves or a few more hits because they want to be good,” Axelson said. “That’s just a joy. It’s a joy to work with those kids because they’re competitors. They want to represent themselves every time they step on the court. That is a thrill to me.”
Both Trenton and Trinity will compete in the Region 8 Volleyball Tournament.