After a win over Palmdale Academy Charter School on Tuesday, the Trinity Knights followed up their performance with a straight-set sweep, 25-13, 25-14, 25-14, over the Golden Valley Grizzlies in non-league play and recorded their fourth win the season Wednesday.
“The girls played some really clean, disinclined volleyball,” Trinity head coach Mackenzie Stewart said after the game. “So, we’re proud of the way it went.”
The win, which put the Knights (4-4, 3-0) back at .500 with a 4-4 record, comes after the Knights began the Heritage League 3-0 including a straight-set sweep over crosstown rival Santa Clarita Christian.
“I’m just proud of the way the girls are playing,” Stewart said. “It really comes down to their hard work that they’re putting in at practice and how they perform on the court.”
In the win, Trinity’s junior opposite hitter Katrina Larsen led the team in kills with 13 kills, four aces and was one of the impact players for Stewart and the Knights.
After a resounding first-set win, the Knights faced adversity in the second set as Golden Valley’s (2-9-3) attack pushed Trinity with multiple rallies.
In the second set, the teams were tied at five apiece, but the Grizzlies took the lead following an ace from Golden Valley’s Ava Dalangin.
The Grizzlies extended their lead to 9-5, which prompted a timeout from Trinity. Following the stoppage, the Knights and Grizzlies battled and tied the set at 14 apiece. With the score of 14-14, the Knights rallied for an 11-0 run and the second-set win, 25-14.
The momentum from the second set propelled the team for an overall sweep in the third. Stewart said that she and the team battled the in-game adversity well and played clean volleyball for the victory.
“I think the sets were more of a battle between missing serves and less errors, so whoever made the least errors came out on top,” she said. “Our girls played good off the blockers, and they read the ball well, and that’s why we took the win.”
For Trinity, Stewart believes the win over Golden Valley was a good opportunity to bring the team’s overall record to .500 and momentum that the coach believes will be good going into the next Heritage League contest.
“It’s good to get more experience under our belt,” Stewart said. “I’m really excited to see where the girls are at continuing into league and the season.”
The Knights will look to keep up the momentum Thursday in the team’s return to Heritage League play with a road matchup against the Lancaster Baptist Eagles.
The matchup between the Eagles and Knights is scheduled to take place at Lancaster Baptist with first serve scheduled for 5 p.m.
As for Golden Valley, the loss dropped the Grizzlies to a 2-9-3 overall record and it was their third-consecutive loss.
The Grizzlies will look to turn their season around quickly with a win and bounce back with the Foothill League season opening on Tuesday with a road matchup against the Castaic Coyotes.
The matchup between the Coyotes and the Grizzlies is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at Castaic High School.
