Lady Trojans' season ends at Western B tournament

The Western News

The Troy High School volleyball team’s season came to a close on Friday with two losses in the Western B divisional tournament in Missoula.

Lady Trojans coach Sandra Jansma said the team made strides over the course of the season. Troy came in with heavy player losses from 2007 but brought it together with senior outside hitter Alicia Anderson on the floor.

“Throughout the year, Alicia Anderson became a dominant force for us in our program and I was happy to have her with us,” Jansma said. “She was a good passer and a very good server … and she tried to motivate and inspire the girls.”

Molly Harpole was the only other senior on the squad. She played just one season but developed a presence at the net hitting and blocking.

“We had some ups and downs throughout the season but ultimately, the girls played very well and progressed pretty quickly,” Jansma said. “We lost a lot from last year and this year we had a lot of young girls that stepped into those positions and filled them pretty well.”

In the tournament, top-seeded Loyola Sacred Heart won on Thursday in three straight games over the Lady Trojans, 25-9, 25-10, 25-15. The Breakers served for 23 aces in the victory.

“Loyola has a really good program and they serve very well,” Jansma said. “The majority of the girls woke up early and I think had a hard time playing volleyball right off the bus.”

Anderson and Kristin Parks each had four kills for Troy. Parks was tops in blocks with two. Anderson and Ashley Suber each had two digs. Alyssa Olds put together 10 set assists. Ashley Paasch had a pair of two aces serving.

On the following day, Troy pushed St. Ignatius in a four-game match but fell short, 25-10, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24. Again, Troy’s opponent did well at the service line with Mission recording 23 aces.

Parks had a team-high eight kills for the Trojans, who finished with 19 as a team. Harpole had five blocks at the net. Jessica Lyons had five aces serving, Paasch had five digs and Olds recorded 15 assists.

Loyola went on to claim the divisional title with a win over Florence.

The Lady Trojans ended the season with an 8-13 record.

Western B Divisionals

Thursday’s Results

• Loyola Sacred Heart def. Troy, 25-9, 25-10, 25-15

• Deer Lodge def. St. Ignatius, 25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 25-16

• Eureka def. Darby, 25-13, 25-20, 25-16

• Florence def. Thompson Falls, 25-20, 25-23, 25-13

• Loyola Sacred Heart def. Deer Lodge, 25-19, 25-7, 25-21

• Florence def. Eureka, 25-18, 25-21, 25-18

Friday’s Results

• St. Ignatius def. Troy, 25-10, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24

• Thompson Falls def. Darby, 25-15, 25-9, 25-18

• Eureka def. St. Ignatius, 26-24, 20-25, 25-21, 26-24

• Thompson Falls def. Deer Lodge, 25-15, 25-22, 25-12

• Thompson Falls def. Eureka, 25-23, 25-14, 16-25, 10-25, 15-9

• Loyola Sacred Heart def. Florence, 22-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-23, 15-7

Saturday’s Results

• Florence def. Thompson Falls, 25-19, 19-25, 25-14, 19-25, 15-10

• Loyola Sacred Heart def. Florence, 25-27, 24-26, 25-16, 25-14, 15-7

Final Standings: 1, Loyola Sacred Heart; 2, Florence; 3, Thompson Falls; 4, Eureka

Loyola Sacred Heart and Florence advance to the Class B State Tournament