Troy rallies to defeat Libby in hotly contested girls rivalry
<p>Marcy Kroschel, left, Taylor Brown and Michaela Curry react after defeating Libby in four games Tuesday night.</p>
The Troy Activity Center was a house divided Tuesday night as Libby’s volleyball team came to play the Lady Trojans.
Libby sophomore outside hitter/right side hitter Hailey Craig served six consecutive times for the Loggers, forcing Troy coach Sandra Beal to take a time out.
It was Lady Trojans from there on out, as Troy beat Libby 3-1: 26-24, 25-14, 22-25, 25-11.
“We struggle with that, we start out slow sometimes,” Beal said. “We rely on energy and intensity.”
Troy began partially deflated and Libby was full of energy and cheering. That ramped up in the first game, as Libby’s aggressive serving was offset by Troy’s huge sets and offensive presence.
The Lady Loggers appeared more cautious and slightly hesitant until they panicked and made mistakes. Libby coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston noticed a similar trend.
“We really played scared of losing,” she said. “Troy just played. That’s typical of a team playing up a division. They played like they had nothing to lose, and we played like we had everything to lose.”
The Lady Trojans finished with eight more kills than the Lady Loggers. Troy’s Michaela Curry and Libby’s Lauren Wepprecht traded blows all night, clocking in at 12 and 16 respectively.
Both teams appreciated the raucous crowds, but especially Troy, which feeds off noise and excitement.
“I liked Libby’s crowd being loud because it made our crowd be loud,” said Troy senior setter Holli Higgins. “It’s a long-time rivalry, it feels really good.”
Higgins had 27 of Troy’s 32 set assists.
The second game didn’t have the competitiveness of the first, as the Lady Trojans led by as many as 16 points. Curry struck here as well, notching three aces in six serves to open the game. She would finish with five.
The explosiveness of Troy was a surprise to the Lady Loggers, whose starting seven averages a shade taller than the Lady Trojans.
“They were hitting really well,” said Libby’s sophomore setter Hannah England. “Better than we were expecting. And we’re all really aware of when we’re having difficulties. ”
Libby came back from five points down in game three to win on some timely serving by sophomore defensive specialist/outside hitter Dalyn Germany. Her serves were bright spots in a dim night for the Lady Loggers, notching several aces in quick succession to mark the sole win for Libby.
Game four was over before it began. Curry sealed the win on a match-point ace in the 14-point victory.
The Lady Loggers finished with 62 digs, including 18 from sophomore libero Mahalah Wedel and 12 from Craig. Germany had four of Libby’s 10 aces.
Troy had 45 digs, led by senior middle blocker Jordan William’s 11. The Lady Trojans are 5-3 and 1-0 in conference. They played Eureka on the road Thursday night and play Bigfork at home, 3 p.m. Saturday
Libby is 1-3 in non-tournament play, but 1-0 in conference. The Lady Loggers played Whitefish on Thursday night and travel to Polson at 1 p.m. Saturday.