Everett, WA – In what seemed like an eternity, Trojan Volleyball was finally back in action Wednesday night, one week after their thrilling, five set match and upset win over #5 ranked Whatcom. Friday's road match was cancelled due to Shoreline CC's COVID protocols which ultimately ended in a forfeit and Trojan win.
Everett would square off against rival Edmonds College, but at times it was evident that it had been a week since the previous match. The Trojans started out strong in set one building to an 11-7 lead and held the lead at 14-11, but a 9-1 run in favor of Edmonds gave momentum to the visiting Tritons, and eventually the set at 25-19.
In set two, the Trojans again started strong with a 9-6 lead, but similar to the previous match Edmonds took advantage of some Everett mistakes and launched an 11-2 run to take a 16-12 lead. EvCC kept things interesting this time and got to within one on a Malia Shepherd kill at 22-21 and appeared to have enough to come back and steal the set. Two straight Edmonds kills ended the momentum and Everett dropped the 2nd set 25-21.
Entering the third set, the Trojans remained to have a poised look and determined to prolong the match. A 4-0 start by EvCC was again answered with a run by Edmonds, giving up five straight points. But Everett stopped the bleeding and fought point for point through 18-18 on a Sarah Campfield decisive solo block.
Everett then took a 21-19 lead on a Malia Shepherd kill forcing Edmonds to take a timeout. After the break, back and forth action favored Edmonds 3-2, bringing the score to 23-22 and it would be Everett's turn to take a timeout. Edmonds brought the score to 24-24, but Everett got the job done with two straight points, first on a kill by Erin Ingram, and then on a short serve by Devon McHenry that forced an error.
Set four was another exciting affair, with neither team gaining more than a 3-point lead. Edmonds built a 17-14 lead, but a four-point run saw Everett take the lead back. A well-placed Edmonds timeout, got some momentum back as they scored 3 straight to take it back 20-18, forcing an Everett timeout. The break in action did not fare as well for the Trojans as it had for Edmonds and six straight Triton points forced a final timeout by Everett. EvCC got a point back, but in the end, it was too much and Edmonds prevailed 25-19.
Everett was led by Malia Shepherd's 19 kills, tying her single match season high and bumping her kills per set average to 3.61 ranking 2nd in the NWAC. The loss moves Everett to 2-1 in the North region standings, but still in 3rd place. Everett will have a chance to get back in the win column as they travel to Bremerton on Friday to face a struggling Olympic program. The Rangers have started north region play 0-2 and have a 3-9 overall record but three of those losses have been in the 5th set. First serve is scheduled for 7:00pm.