Libby netters knock off Troy in four
<p>Allie Brown, left, and Jessica Ward blocking first game vs. Libby Oct. 20. Libby in four: 21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 28-26.</p>
<p>Senior Taryne Luscher serving second game vs. Libby Oct. 20. Libby in four: 21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 28-26.</p>
<p>Junior Allie Brown blocking in third game vs. Libby Oct. 20. Libby in three: 21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 28-26.</p>
<p>Freshman Jessika Jones serving fourth game vs. Libby Oct. 20.</p>
The Lady Trojans came into Ralph Tate Memorial Gym Tuesday evening with revenge on their minds, after Libby won the first meeting between the teams earlier this season. Troy’s girls showed the strength in the first set, beating the Lady Loggers 21-25, but then fell in three consecutive sets to drop the match. The final scores were 21-25, 25-17, 25-20 and 28-26 for Libby.
“It was great to get a Senior Night win against our cross-town rivals,” Libby coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston said after the match. “We really struggled serving but found a way to make up for it in other areas.”
The Lady Loggers managed 19 aces in the match, with a team service percentage of 83.79 percent. Taryne Luscher and India Croucher each had four aces to lead the Lady Loggers. Troy had 10 aces on the afternoon, spread out among five players with two each. The teams each had 30 kills, with Troy’s Aurora Becquart leading the way with nine. Libby’s Croucher had eight. Allie Brown contributed 24 assists to Troy’s total 28, while Libby racked up 29, led by Ashley Walker with 17.
On the defensive side, Troy had 40 digs, 16 of them coming from Kaitlyn Downey. The Lady Loggers had 34, led by Bailie Rosling’s 11. The Lady Loggers’ Emily Mossburg dominated the net on the defense, with her 10 blocks representing two more than the Troy team total of eight. Libby had 12 total blocks.
“Emily had a spectacular night at the net with seven kills, .412 attack and 10 blocks,” Ostrem-Johnston said.
The Lady Loggers are next up Saturday, traveling to both Columbia Falls and Whitefish. The Lady Trojans are off until the divisional tournament Oct. 31.