Heading in to this year’s Volleybowl, the Lady Trojan Volleyball Team prepared hard to take on the Lady Fillies. Before the game the Trojans liked their chances of clinching an undefeated conference record.

“I felt pretty confident in my team, we were all comfortable with the people we were playing with and as long as we all did our jobs, I felt like we had a good chance of winning,” said senior Jill Phipps.

That Thursday night, as students from both schools packed the gym, both teams were ready to play. As the game went on, the Trojans and the Fillies battled for the Volleybowl trophy.  The Lady Trojans have not won the trophy since 2014, and after losing impact players from last year’s senior class, the team needed everyone stepping up their game.

Perhaps what wasn’t expected was an easy win in three games, but that is exactly what happened.  The Lady Trojans simply dominated the Fillies from start to finish (25-17, 25-12, 25-17) .  Senior Maddy Vinich and sophomore Corin Curruth lead the team in kills on their way to a Volleybowl victory.

In a heated rivalry game with Natrona it can be difficult to keep your mind focused on the game.  Blocking out crowd noise is key.  The two student bodies can sometimes be obnoxious with their chanting and jeering.

“Barkell told me to not let them get in my head, he told us to just put into play what we have been practicing so hard for,” said sophomore Corin Carruth.

Both schools try to yell and chant louder than the other side during the game and on many occasions the opposing school’s chants are not always the nicest.

As the team heads into regionals, many of the girls are relaxed and ready to play. “We are all going in comfortable, despite the other team, and ready to play,” says senior Jill Phipps. 

The Lady Trojans plan to continue working hard every day in hopes of ultimately winning the state title.

“We are going to play with passion, and continue to connect as a team,” says Carruth.