VOLLEYBALL TAKES DOWN BEARS OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN
It's been 15 months since Cabre Gym last saw it's last official volleyball competition, but Trapper Volleyball was back in force on Wednesday night as they hosted the Rocky Mountain College JV Battlin Bears from Billings, MT. Excitement and anticipation was in the air as a crowd of just over 200 filed in to see the 2021 version of the Trappers. Set 1 began with a back and forth battle until 7-7 when RMC went on a 4 point run. NWC was able to right the ship and go on a 7-2 run of their own and took control of the set behind a .444 hitting percentage and 5 kills from Baylee Peterson. NWC would go on to win Set 1 by a score of 25-22.
Set 2 saw the Trappers show what they are really made of and controlled the set from start to finish. Mollee Krum led the way with 4 kills hitting a blistering .667 and adding 2 blocks as the team hit an overall .324. Up 2-0 and ready to put the match away, the Trappers started slow in set 3, quickly going down 0-4 to the Bears. After a time out by Head Coach Scott Keister, NWC was able to go on a 4-1 run and tie the set at 5 each. The two teams would battle back and forth and Coach Keister would go to his bench to eventually pull away and win the set 25-22 and sweep the match.
Of the match, Keister said "I think we had a little bit of overexcitement with our fans in the stands and wanting to show off a bit while also not falling on our faces. That energy we get from the crowd is huge in our success but after 15 months of not having it, it takes some getting used to. It was great to see them battle through those emotions and figure out a way to win."
Overall, the Trappers were on fire offensively, hitting .299 for the match and averaging 15 kills per set. The Trappers were led offensively by Baylee Peterson with 16 kills (.344) and Karli Steiner with 10 (.429). Paige Weimer and Mollee Krum led the team on the defenisve front with 18 digs and 4 blocks respectively.
Tonight's win improves the Trappers overall record to 5-4 and puts them on a 3 match winning streak and 1-0 at home. This win marks the 5th win of the season in just the first 3 weeks of the season, matching the 2019 campaign season total.
Next up for the Trappers, a trip to Riverton, WY on Friday February 5th where they will take on Central Wyoming at 11am and Colorado Northwestern at 1:30. NWC will then return home to host the Northwest Invitational Feb 11-13 in Cabre Gym.