Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Playing its third game in as many days after splitting the first two, the Triton volleyball team hosted Bethany Christian on Thursday night looking to head into the weekend with a win. The Lady Trojans did just that, looking flat out dominant at times as they cruised to a 3-0 sweep for their 13th win of the year.
After giving up the first two points of the night, Triton responded quickly in the form of four straight points of their own to jump in front for the first time. Upon doing so, the home side was able to remain on top for quite a bit of time.
Headlining the Lady Trojan attack was sophomore Analeigh Na, who showcased her ability to do a little bit of everything in the opening set, whether it was creating points on her own with a tricky serve or by rising above the rim for a kill, or by setting her teammates up with some nice passes, Na was heavily involved early on.
As the two sides continued to score points and get closer to 25, Triton remained in front and it never really felt like they were in danger of surrendering their lead. The advantage hovered around 5-7 points for the majority of the set, allowing the home side to play with some freedom, something that was clearly working for them.
Along with Na, Savannah Hawley was doing a great job of putting points on the board for the home side. The junior was able to get plenty of air underneath her as she soared for a couple of massive kills towards the end of the set which helped the Lady Trojans take a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-14 victory in the opening set.
The second set did not begin with a burst from the Lady Bruins as the first one did. Instead, Triton got out to a commanding lead early on by scoring six of the first seven points of the game. After nearly going wire-to-wire a set prior, the home side set itself up in a good position to do so here. As the scores continued to get higher, Triton remained a comfortable distance away from their opponent.
Late in the game, the lead had ballooned to 10 for the Lady Trojans and it forced a timeout from the visitors. The home side was getting better as the game went on, hitting the ball harder, picking better spots, doing whatever it took to make Bethany Christian uncomfortable. It was working to perfection, as the lead continued to grow after the break in action.
Things didn’t get much better for the visitors as the second set came to an end, as Triton was able to coast to a 25-10 win that gave the home side a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Under the watchful eye of head coach Gina Westafer, Triton senior Lydia Hammond keeps the volley going during the first set...Nieter
Needing to get something going and soon to stay alive in this game, the Lady Bruins came out with some fight to begin the third set. After going down early for the second game in a row, the visitors were able to claw back and tie things up at 6-6. Things remained tight for quite some time as Bethany did a great job of preventing their opponents from going on the long runs that had won them the previous two sets.
Nevertheless, Triton found a way to remain on top as the two sides traded points. The advantage was not as large as it had been earlier in the match, but eventually the Lady Trojans were able to extend to six and really put the pressure on, forcing the Lady Bruins to call a timeout.
Things only got better for the home side following the break, as the team scored three more to really start to run away with things with the lead now at nine. Just five points from victory, Triton sprinted towards the finish line, never letting its foot off the gas on its way to a 25-16 win on a kill by Na to finish off the sweep.
Triton (13-6) will compete at the Tippecanoe Valley Invite on Saturday.
