Trojans take Whitney in five sets in first meeting

Two of the top volleyball teams in Northern California met at Oak Ridge High Thursday night, but it wasn't a non-league showcase. In a playoff-like atmosphere, Sierra Foothill League rivals Whitney and host Oak Ridge battled for five hard-fought sets before the Trojans came through with the victory, 25-18, 22-25, 27-29, 25-18, 15-10. The Trojans fell behind 4-1 in the first set, but then scored 14 of the next 19 points to take a 14-9 lead. They worked the lead up to nine before winning by seven. "They struggled offensively in the first set, but once they got dialed in they were really tough," Oak Ridge coach Trevin Morgan said of the Wildcats. Whitney started clicking, as they won the second set by three, and then earned a 29-27 win in the third set. At any given time, Evelyn Hills, Jenna Kraft, Addisen Hamilton and Kaitlyn Cochran were smashing balls from the pins, while Evelyn Hendrix gave the Cougars plenty of offense in the middle. The Trojans rallied from the heartbreaking loss to take the fourth game, 25-18. Madison Walker and Elle Weaver carried a large bulk of the offense, while Emily Child chipped in when given the opportunity. Kate Fagundes was solid in the back row with her digs and passing, while setters Leilani Yang and Avery Towne routinely found the hitters. Jessica Ortiz also served well throughout the match for the Trojans. Oak Ridge jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the deciding fifth set and Whitney never got closer than three points to the lead after that. Yang scored the game-winning point with an ace. The win improved the Trojans record to 3-0 in league play and 15-2 overall, while Whitney fell to 2-1 in league and to 18-2 overall. "We definitely adapted to what they were doing and played smart," Child said of the keys to victory. "We had the energy at the end to win it. We were a little down after losing twice to St. Mary's last week, so we wanted to come back and show everyone who we are." Added Yang, "We scouted Whitney on film and we relied on our hitters to tell us setters where to go with the ball. We realize we are neck-and-neck with Whitney, so it was beyond important that we won this match. It felt like the section championship game last year against Cosumnes Oaks." Whitney coach Kami Kazel knew it would be a hard-fought, competitive match. "It was a good match and it was anyone's game," Kazel said. "I think Trevin and I knew that going into it. It's two equally skilled teams playing evenly. It was a battle and they came out on top." Oak Ridge coach Trevin Morgan enjoys playing tough teams and coaching in competitive matches. "There was a lot of strategy involved," Morgan said. "Sometimes we'd get the match-up we wanted and sometimes we wouldn't. We tried to put the right hitter in front of the right defenders. I do like coaching in tough matches. My assistants help me out a lot. It's a lot of fun." It was an especially nice win for the Trojans, who were playing without two key players, Abby Hoybjerg and Mack Dauden. "It was a big win because I believe the league is going to come down to either us, Whitney and Rocklin, no disrespect to the other teams," Morgan said. "Whitney has been on our radar for awhile. This was a good litmus test; could we compete with them? We showed tonight that we could."