Plains makes it tough for Loyola

by Ed Moreth It was a rough day for the Plains Trotters volleyball team that lost its first game of the season on its home court. The varsity girls started out slow, losing game one 25-10. The Loyola Breakers drew first blood and though the Trotters were able to tie things up, once their competitors got hot, Plains never got within seven points. Loyola again started out in the lead in game two and for a while kept the Trotters from putting more than a single point on the board. But when the local girls struck, they started pounding out the points and a spike from Trotter Teagan Saner tied the game 13-13. The junior led the team with seven kills, said Kim Lakko, the Trotters' head coach. She is assisted by Jesse Butcher, whose daughter, Aubree Butcher, a sophomore, collected six kills. Loyola pulled ahead again, but not for long. Another Saner kill gave Plains the lead. The Breakers regained and held the lead until senior Lexi Deming slipped one in to take a 22-21 lead. Deming had five kills for the night. The game was 24-24 when Loyola served it into the net, followed by a hard spike that went wide to give Plains the victory. The Trotters hit first in the third game. The contest was tied at six apiece when Saner fired in an ace to get the lead. Saner led the Trotters with six aces, followed by Butcher and sophomore Claire Lakko with two apiece. Deming spiked one for a 9-6 Plains lead and kept it until 21-21. It went back and forth, but then junior Katelyn Subatch and Saner chalked up critical points. Kalli Tuma, a junior, gave the Trotters 26-25, followed by Saner tipping one in for the win. Game four was a close game, with the lead going back and forth and neither side getting a strong lead, but in the end the Breakers took the game by six points. The final game began with an ace by Lakko, who also led the team with 20 set assists. But Loyola kept the lead the majority of the game and won 15-12. Saner led the Trotters with eight blocks, followed by Butcher with four and Subatch with two. Kalli Tuma led the team with 21 digs. Deming had 20 and Saner had 19. "The game was a true battle and seniors Teagan Saner and Lexi Deming led the way," said Lakko, who served as the assistant coach last year. She added that Tuma and Saner brought a strong passing game, consistently keeping the Trotters side of the court in system. She also noted that her daughter, setter Claire Lakko, ran a strong offense and that Butcher and Subatch played strong at the net. "Overall, it was an exciting, competitive game. The girls played to win and it was a nail biter to the last point of the fifth set." Loyola beat the Plains C-squad 3-1 and junior varsity 3-0. The Trotters next home game is Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Superior Lady Bobcats. On Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 4:30 p.m., they face the Lady Savage Heat at Hot Springs. The Trotters take on the Thompson Falls Lady Hawks at Plains on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Trotter Lexi Deming smacks one over for a point against Loyola.