TRAPPER VOLLEYBALL ENDURES LONG ROAD TRIP

BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune

One of the longest road trips of the season for the Northwest College volleyball team resulted in a weekend of growth for the Trappers, finishing with a 3-2 record over three days in two North Dakota events.    

NORTHWEST 3, JAMESTOWN JV 2
A thrilling five set match against the University of Jamestown JV kicked off the day on Thursday for the Trappers in Bismarck, North Dakota, at the Bismarck Invitational.

A nerve-wracking start had the Trappers trailing early, before a strong finish in the first set gave Northwest a 26-24 victory.

Jamestown responded in the second set with a 25-20 victory, and took the lead in a 25-18 third set after taking advantage of a .067 hitting percentage by the Trappers.

In the fourth set Northwest hit even worse at .040%, but was able to escape with a 25-21 win and force a fifth set.

The Trappers got their feet under them and had a strong hitting fifth set, hitting at .312 and finishing with a 15-13 final set win.

"It was fun," coach Scott Keister said. "Jamestown's varsity team won the national championship last year. They have a nice team, some nice hitters. It was good to come out and compete right off the bat and have a tough one."

Taylor Wilson led the way with 13 kills, just ahead of Brooke Larsen who was the other Trapper in double figures with 10.

Kamri Hutchings and Kamryn Jenkins split setting duties as Hutchings had 24 and Jenkins had 16.

Ellie Thomas had four aces and 15 digs, while Burkelle Field, Jordynel Anderson and Wilson all had 2.5 blocks.

"We got to work through a lot of different lineups. We tried to get everybody on the court at some point just to see what they would do," Keister said.

BISMARCK STATE 3, NORTHWEST 0
After a victory in the afternoon the Trappers turned around to take on the hosts Bismarck State on Thursday night, and encountered a strong opponent in their second match of the season.

Both teams came out and battled in the first set, before a strong push at the end allowed for the host Mystics to pull away for a 25-19 victory.

A difficult second set saw the Trappers with a negative hitting percentage after committing more errors than kills, as Bismarck cruised to a 25-13 win.

Northwest rebounded and battled in the third set, but was unable to capture a set as the Mystics finished the match with a 25-21 set for the sweep.

"They didn't make many mistakes at all," Keister said. "You can tell that team has been successful for a while. That's part of the reason we went. We knew they were good and wanted to see some good teams right off the bat."

Hutchings led the way with 19 assists, while Thomas had a team-high 15 digs.   

NORTHWEST 3, MILES CC 1
After a late game Thursday night the Trappers played an 8 a.m. game on Friday morning, and rebounded in a battle against Miles Community College.

"We had a short turnaround and I was worried about it," Keister said. "We met as a team Thursday night after that late match while we were eating dinner and talked about the importance of taking care of our bodies and getting the rest we need. They were up and raring to go."

Northwest started strong and claimed a 25-17 first set victory, before three straight close sets kept the match tight.

Miles claimed victory in the second set, escaping with a 25-22 win.

Northwest rebounded despite hitting worse in the third set, escaping with a 25-23 victory to take a 2-1 lead.

The fourth set was just as close, and Northwest once again escaped with a two point win 27-25 and finished the 3-1 victory.

"Miles is a lot better this year. They cleared house, got a new coach and a bunch of freshmen in there with some talent so they are doing good," Keister said.

Field led the way with 14 kills on a .323 hitting percentage and 4.5 blocks, just ahead of Larsen who also finished in double figures with 11 kills.

Hutchings had 24 assists and Jenkins had 13 — Thomas led the way with 23 digs and Elsa Clark had five aces.   

NORTHWEST 3, DAWSON CC 1
One final test in the Bismarck Invitational came against Dawson on Friday, with the Trappers looking to finish 3-1.

The Trappers once again came out strong, this time claiming victory in the first two sets 25-15 and 25-18.

Dawson battled back in the third and claimed a close 26-24 win, before Northwest fired past the Buccaneers in the fourth set 25-17.

Larsen led the way with 13 kills, Hutchings led with 22 assists, Thomas finished with 21 digs and Clark led with seven aces.

"Serving was probably our best skill over the weekend," Keister said. 

DICKINSON STATE JV 3, NORTHWEST 0
After the Bismarck Invitational came to an end Friday the Trappers made a pit stop on the drive home Saturday, squaring off with the Dickinson State JV in Dickinson, North Dakota.

A quick offense and roster changes by Dickinson caused Northwest to face a much more difficult team than anticipated, but the Trappers held their own throughout the match.

The Blue Hawks finished with a sweep, but Northwest held each set within seven points (25-18, 25-20, 25-18).

"We didn't know what we were going to get since they had so many injuries and they essentially played their varsity against us," Keister said. "Even though I knew it was going to be a tough one, I thought we could hang. They run a fast, fast offense … We hung with them in the first set but then we started to make mistakes and it got a little overwhelming."

Thomas led once again with 13 digs and Hutchings finished with 20 assists.

HOME MATCHES
Northwest now stays at home for the first time this season, playing four matches in three days before heading on the road for the next month.

"Just to show the hunger of this team they were all in here first thing on Monday even though we didn't have official practice," Keister said. "The growth for this team from start to finish is going to be massive."

That starts with a match against Dawson once again Thursday (tonight) at 7 p.m. in Cabre Gym.

Northwest then plays Carroll College JV at 1 p.m. on Friday in the Trapper Invitational, before two matches on Saturday against Rocky Mountain College JV at 1 p.m. and the Wyoming All-Stars at 5 p.m.

These will be Northwest's only home games until next month on Sept. 29 with a home conference match against Laramie County Community College.

"Who made that schedule? Holy cow," Keister joked.

Northwest will have two additional players available this weekend, and Keister is hopeful to work them into the rotation over the three days at home.

"More match experience, that is really what we are looking for," he said.    

NORTHWEST 3, JAMESTOWN JV 2
Solo blocks in ()
Kills — Taylor Wilson 13, Brooke Larsen 10, Tilli Danczyk 6, Elsa Clark 5, Kamri Hutchings 3, Jordynel Anderson 3, Ellie Thomas 2, Burkelle Field 1, Sierra Kilts 1
Assists — Kamri Hutchings 24, Kamryn Jenkins 16, Elsa Clark 1, Sierra Kilts 1, Brooke Larsen 1, Taylor Wilson 1
Digs — Ellie Thomas 15, Brooke Larsen 13, Elsa Clark 11, Taylor Wilson 10, Kamri Hutchings 3, Burkelle Field 2, Annika Bushman 2, Sierra Kilts 2, Tilli Danczyk 2
Blocks — Burkelle Field 2.5 (2), Jordynel Anderson 2.5, Taylor Wilson 2.5 (1), Kamri Hutchings 1, Tilly Danczyk .5
Aces — Ellie Thomas 4, Taylor Wilson 3, Burkelle Field 2, Elsa Clark 2, Kamri Hutchings 1, Tilli Danczyk 1   

BISMARCK STATE 3, NORTHWEST 0
Kills — Brooke Larsen 7, Sierra Kilts 5, Burkelle Field 4, Taylor Wilson 2, Kamri Hutchings 1, Mikey Pilila'au 1
Assists — Kamri Hutchings 19, Burkelle Field 1
Digs — Ellie Thomas 15, Brooke Larsen 9, Kamri Hutchings 8, Taylor Wilson 4, Trinity Frank 3, Burkelle Field 3, Sierra Kilts 3, Elsa Clark 1, DanniKa Barfuss 1, Tilli Danczyk, Jordynel Anderson 1
Blocks — Mikey Pilila'au 2 (1), Kamri Hutchings 1 (1), Taylor Wilson 1 (1), Burkelle Field .5, Sierra Kilts .5, Tilli Danczyk .5, Kamryn Jenkins .5
Aces — Kamri Hutchings 2, Ellie Thomas 2, Trinity Frank 1, DanniKa Barfuss 1, Tilli Danczyk 1, Taylor Wilson 1   

NORTHWEST 3, MILES CC 1
Kills — Burkelle Field 14, Brooke Larsen 11, Kamri Hutchings 7, Tilli Danczyk 6, Sierra Kilts 5, Annika Bushman 1
Assists — Kamri Hutchings 24, Kamryn Jenkins 13, Ellie Thomas 2, Sierra Kilts 2, Elsa Clark 1, Brooke Larsen 1, Taylor Wilson 1
Digs — Ellie Thomas 23, Sierra Kilts 14, Kamryn Jenkins 7, Elsa Clark 6, Brooke Larsen 6, Kamri Hutchings 5, Burkelle Field 3, DanniKa Barfuss 3, Mikey Pilila'au 1
Blocks — Burkelle Field 4.5 (2), Tilli Danczyk 3 (1), Sierra Kilts 2, Mikey Pilila'au 1.5 (1), Kamri Hutchings .5, Brooke Larsen .5
Aces — Elsa Clark 5, Kamri Hutchings 2, Ellie Thomas 2, Kamryn Jenkins 2, Burkelle Field 1, Sierra Kilts 1   

NORTHWEST 3, DAWSON CC 1
Kills — Brooke Larsen 13, Burkelle Field 5, Sierra Kilts 5, Elsa Clark 4, Taylor Wilson 4, Kamri Hutchings 2, Tilli Danczyk 2, Kamryn Jenkins 1, Taylor Wilson 1
Assists — Kamri Hutchings 22, Kamryn Jenkins 8, Ellie Thomas 4, Tilli Danczyk 1, Taylor Wilson 1
Digs — Ellie Thomas 21, Brooke Larsen 7, Kamri Hutchings 6, Elsa Clark 6, Kamryn Jenkins 4, Taylor Wilson 4, Sierra Kilts 2, DanniKa Barfuss 1
Blocks — Tilli Danczyk 3.5 (3), Burkelle Field 1.5 (1), Sierra Kilts 1.5 (1), Elsa Clark 1 (1), Brooke Larsen 1 (1), Kamri Hutchings .5, Mikey Pilila'au .5, Taylor Wilson .5
Aces — Elsa Clark 7, Burkelle Field 4, Kamri Hutchings 3, Ellie Thomas 2, Brooke Larsen 2, Taylor Wilson 1

DICKINSON STATE JV 3, NORTHWEST 0
Kills — Brooke Larsen 7, Tilli Danczyk 5, Taylor Wilson 3, Burkelle Field 2, Kamri Hutchings 1, Elsa Clark 1, Sierra Kilts 1, Mikey Pilila'au 1, Jordynel Anderson 1, Kamryn Jenkins 1
Assists — Kamri Hutchings 20, Burkelle Field 1, Kamryn Jenkins 1, Taylor Wilson 1
Digs — Ellie Thomas 13, Brooke Larsen 7, Kamri Hutchings 5, Sierra Kilts 2, Taylor Wilson 2, Burkelle Field 1, Annika Bushman 1, Elsa Clark 1, DanniKa Barfuss 1
Blocks — Burkelle Field 1, Taylor Wilson 1 (1), Elsa Clark .5, Tilli Danczyk .5
Aces — Ellie Thomas 2, Kamri Hutchings 1, Taylor Wilson 1