VOLLEYBALL: Troy sweeps Rochester
BY JAKE LOURIM
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
TROY — Seven seniors played their final league game on the Troy High floor on Thursday night.
There was no way they were going to lose.
“We had to win,” senior captain Nicole Hahn said. “It just came down to that.”
Troy wiped out Rochester on Wednesday night with a quick 25-14, 25-13, 25-13 win on Senior Night to conclude OAA Red Division play.
After three early kills put the Falcons up 6-5 in the first game, there wasn’t much that went right for them the rest of the night.
On Senior Night, it was Troy junior Olivia Parks who took over with eight kills and five aces in the first two games. The numbers weren’t outstanding for any of the hitters, but Troy played strong defense and distributed the ball around, eventually getting everyone into the game.
“It’s good for the kids because it is Senior Night, but I also think they have a goal of wanting to get back to .500 in the league,” Muscat said. “Senior Nights aren’t great if you lose. They still have that game intensity, and once the whistle blew, I think they were ready to go.”
Despite the emotion involved with the final home game, Troy blocked it out and got down to winning its second straight game and moving to 4-4 in the OAA Red Division.
The Colts scored seven of eight at one point in the first game and led 16-8. They eventually finished it off with kills from Parks and senior Lexie Pullen.
“Lindsay did a nice job of getting everybody the ball,” Muscat said. “I’d like to see the middles a little bit more, but they still got their touches and their kills.”
Senior Julie Welch played libero for the first time and played solid serve-receive. She has impressed Muscat with her recent play.
“She’s been working hard all season, and I think she earned it,” Muscat said. “It’s her spotlight for tonight.”
Sophomore Hannah Moeller came off the bench as a defensive specialist.
Troy surged ahead again in the second game by taking nine of ten points to go up 13-5. Parks’ two consecutive aces helped out as the junior’s jump-serve worked well again.
Lindsay Moeller continued to distribute the ball around to all the hitters, ending the second game on an assist to senior Hope Keating on the outside.
In the third game, Troy rode with the momentum and polished it off, 25-13, tying the game only once after 0-0 and never trailing.
Muscat was pleased with his team’s performance. Still, he doesn’t think his team has peaked.
“I hope not yet,” Muscat said. “I still think we can improve a little bit.”
The Colts have a couple more games before the playoffs, hosting a quad next Thursday and visiting Temperance-Bedford for a tournament next Saturday.
Rochester slipped to 12-19-4.
Their Class A district tournament starts the following Wednesday against Waterford Mott. Rochester opens Oct. 29 against Utica at Sterling Heights Stevenson.
(Jake Lourim is a senior at Troy High School and a member of the S.H.P. Media Group / www.northoaklandsports.com Student Correspondence Program. He is publisher of website www.troycoltsportsupdate.com and a member of the Troy school newspaper editorial staff. He can be reached by e-mail at j.lourim@comcast.net)
Category: Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Most Recently Updated Stories, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Top Stories, Troy, Uncategorized
