In the first match of the season, the Trinity girls volleyball team shook off first-game jitters to complete a victory over Frazier Mountain in five sets.
The Knights (1-0) dropped the first game to the Eagles (4-1-1) 25-17, which head coach Rebecca Peluffo attributed to beginning-of-season nerves.
“It was the first match of the season. We’re figuring out who we are and gelling,” Peluffo said. “It took a set, and after that we were able to run with it.”
Trinity came firing back in the second game, beating Frazier Mountain 25-21 thanks in part to five kills from senior outside hitter Hannah Caddow.
Caddow finished the match with 19 kills and two aces, but it wasn’t only her offense that impressed. The senior was often on the back line, diving for loose balls and setting up her teammates.
“I don’t think a lot of people know this about me, but defense is probably my favorite thing to do,” Caddow said. “I love going back row, I love playing defense. For someone else to get that winning kill, I love that feeling.”
The third game went back-and-forth, with Trinity eventually losing 25-23. Trailing 2-1, the Knights remained resilient and refused to let up.
“Something coach reiterated a lot was to dig deep and play for one another,” Caddow said. “We never really get down.”
After pulling ahead early in the fourth game 6-1, the Knights gave up nine out of the next 10 points and fell behind 7-10. Still, the team remained poised, even when down 21-23. They scored four points in a row to secure a 25-23 fourth-game victory on an ace from sophomore middle blocker Reagan Fernandez.
“I was asking the girls to have a ball-by-ball focus,” said Peluffo. “If we made a mistake, we’re moving on and resetting. If we did something well to earn a point, we’re celebrating, but then we’re still resetting and taking every ball as it came.”
Fernandez is one of four sophomores on the team. She, along with outside hitter Riley Spector, are expected to make a big contribution this season.
“Reagan is going to be one of our dominant middles. I’m excited because she’s been training in the offseason very hard,” Peluffo said. “She went behind the service line and acted like she just owned it, and it was really fun to see her confidence come out because it poured into the other players.
“Riley, I’m so excited. She’s aggressive, she’s passionate, she’s going to bring a whole other edge to our team.”
Trinity finished the match strong, taking a 5-2 advantage early in the fifth game before defeating Frazier Mountain 15-9.
Regardless of the outcome, one thing was evident on the court: The Knights play together like a family.
“Our theme for the program is family,” Peluffo said. “Even if we win or lose, I’m asking, are the girls coming together, are they serving each other well, are they loving each other well? At the end of the day today, we did really well in those areas.”
“I’m looking forward to playing with this awesome group of girls because they’re just amazing,” Fernandez said. “I think the chemistry between all of us is what makes this team work.”
Trinity is headed to Desert Christian in Lancaster on Friday for a two-day tournament where they will face three teams on Friday and another one on Saturday.
