TRAPPERS UNDEFEATED IN HOME TOURNEY

BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune

Playing three games at home paid dividends for the Northwest College volleyball team, as the Trappers won all three matches in their home tournament against the Carroll College JV, Dawson Community College and Williston State College.

Northwest (8-4) started the weekend with a match against the Carroll College JV, with the visitors taking the first set 25-23.

"I think what we're dealing with as a team is just learning how to start off strong," coach Nicole Buck said. "The thing that I'm really proud of is that they might not always have the strongest first set, but they don't allow it to characterize them for the rest of the game. They figure out how to adjust and make the next few sets a little bit better, which is really encouraging for the future of these young athletes."

The Trappers found their groove in the second set, quickly building a lead and pushing it to double digits before winning 25-14.

Northwest pulled away late in the third set for a 25-20 win and again built a large lead in the fourth to earn the 25-15 victory and a 3-1 overall win.

Lexie Arnold and Taylee Carlson led with nine kills each, Aidann Mottishaw led with 19 assists, Shilah Arnold had 17 digs, Ellianna Baumstarck had 4.5 blocks, four solo, and four different Trappers had two aces in the match.

Throughout the weekend the Trappers had a revolving door of new middle blockers. With two of the Trappers starters in Eva Murray and Brakkin Larsen sidelined with injuries, Northwest had to turn to different options in the middle.

"Luckily we've had [Ellianna] with some experience to fill that other middle role, and then Taylee, she's done a great job adjusting," Buck said. "But we did figure out by the end of this tournament that she and we are better as a team when she's on the right side, so we actually put her back. But the thing I love about her is just her willingness to do whatever is needed for the team, and she tries really hard no matter what."

Also on Friday the Trappers matched up with the Buccaneers (2-8), where again the Trappers had to battle early before finding a groove late.

Northwest led early in the first set, before Dawson took the lead midway through and held it until the Trappers scored four of the last five points and escaped with a 26-24 win.

In the second set the Trappers trailed throughout, falling behind by as many as six points.

Northwest gained the lead at 18-17 on a Carlson block, before finishing with the 25-19 win.

The Trappers trailed early in the third set, before pulling away with a strong midset push for the clean sweep at 25-17.

McKinlee Scammon led with nine kills, Mottishaw had 21 assists, Shilah Arnold had 16 digs, Baumstarck had five blocks, three solo, and Lexie Arnold led with four aces.

Playing Williston State (8-4) on Saturday, Northwest fell in the first set 25-16, before rebounding for a 25-17 win.

The Trappers survived the third set 27-25 before winning the final set 25-17 to take the 3-1 win.

Carlson led with 12 kills, Mottishaw led with 27 assists and 16 digs, Natalee Hayder had 2.5 blocks while Lexie Arnold and Rylee Arnold had five aces each. Northwest combined for 21 aces in the match.

"It was really good (being home)," Buck said. "There was some confusion early on with scheduling with this particular tournament, we did have a couple teams drop out. So there was a part of me wishing that we were going to a more competitive tournament somewhere else, but at the end of the day, it was just so nice to have the kids be able to rest a little bit in their own beds and still get good competition without the weariness of traveling."

Those matches at home were just a quick pit stop for the Trappers, who head back on the road for two consecutive weekends.

That road trip starts in Billings, where the Trappers will take on the Rocky Mountain College JV at 7 p.m. on Friday.

"Our biggest focus the past few days has been rest because we're dealing with so many minor illnesses and maladies," Buck said. "I think the thing we learned the most about ourselves is that we have to figure out how to start off stronger and not wait for that first set to be over before we decide we want to be competitive. So the girls have kind of tasked themselves with coming up with a mental reset plan when we make a mistake, how do we reset our minds versus allowing those mistakes to turn into stopping more runs early and just staying competitive right from the get go."

The Billings game will be the final nonconference match for the Trappers, as they start Region IX play on the road next weekend at Casper College and Gillette College.

NORTHWEST 3, CARROLL COLLEGE JV 1
(23-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-15)
Total blocks then solo blocks in ()
Kills — Lexie Arnold 9, Taylee Carlson 9, Aidann Mottishaw 8, McKinlee Scammon 6, Ellianna Baumstarck 5, Natalee Hayder 2, Vinaya Vanderploeg 1
Assists — Aidann Mottishaw 19, Rylee Arnold 19, Shilah Arnold 1
Digs — Shilah Arnold 17, Aidann Mottishaw 10, Lexie Arnold 9, McKinlee Scammon 8, Rylee Arnold 6, Taylee Carlson 2, Ellianna Baumstarck 1, Natalee Hayder 1
B— Ellianna Baumstarck 4.5 (4), Aidann Mottishaw 2 (1), Taylee Carlson 2 (1), McKinlee Scammon 1 (1), Natalee Hayder 1
Aces — Lexie Arnold 2, Shilah Arnold 2, Aidann Mottishaw 2, Rylee Arnold 2, Trinity Frank 1     

NORTHWEST 3, DAWSON CC 0
(26-24, 25-19, 25-17)
Kills — McKinlee Scammon 9, Aidann Mottishaw 8, Lexie Arnold 4, Taylee Carlson 4, Ellianna Baumstarck 3, Natalee Hayder 3, Vinaya Vanderploeg 1
Assists — Aidann Mottishaw 21, Rylee Arnold 9
Digs — Shilah Arnold 16, McKinlee Scammon 15, Lexie Arnold 10, Rylee Arnold 6, Aidann Mottishaw 5, Natalee Hayder 2, Taylee Carlson 2, Trinity Frank 1
Blocks — Ellianna Baumstarck 5 (3), Aidann Mottishaw 2 (1), Natalee Hayder 1, Taylee Carlson 1 (1), McKinlee Scammon .5
Aces — Lexie Arnold 4, Rylee Arnold 3, Shilah Arnold 2, Trinity Frank 1, McKinlee Scammon 1     

NORTHWEST 3, WILLISTON STATE 1
(16-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-17)
Kills — Taylee Carlson 12, Ellianna Baumstarck 9, McKinlee Scammon 8, Aidann Mottishaw 6, Vinaya Vanderploeg 4, Natalee Hayder 2, Lexie Arnold 1
Assists — Aidann Mottishaw 27, Rylee Arnold 11, Shilah Arnold 2, Taylee Carlson 1
Digs — Aidann Mottishaw 16, Shilah Arnold 14, McKinlee Scammon 4, Vinaya Vanderploeg 4, Rylee Arnold 4, Taylee Carlson 2, Lexie Arnold 1, Ellianna Baumstarck 1, Natalee Hayder 1
Blocks — Natalee Hayder 2.5 (2), Vinaya Vanderploeg 1.5 (1), Ellianna Baumstarck 1 (1), Lexie Arnold .5
Aces — Lexie Arnold 5, Rylee Arnold 5, Vinaya Vanderploeg 4, Aidann Mottishaw 3, Trinity Frank 2, Shilah Arnold 1, McKinlee Scammon 1