Trojans trample Kubs for 4th straight district title
Oct. 19—In handling second-seeded Kamiah on Wednesday at Lewis-Clark State's P1FCU Activity Center, the Troy Trojans not only clinched a fourth consecutive Class 1A Division I District II volleyball title in perhaps their most dominant run yet, but made it look like a blast in the process.
The top seeds more than lived up to their billing as they displayed dynamic net play, consistent serving and snowballing momentum to prevail 25-18, 25-14, 25-8.
Troy (20-1), which swept to the district title without dropping a set all tournament, advances to the Idaho Class 1A Division I state tourney, where it will compete as defending champion on Oct. 27-28 back at the Activity Center. The Kubs (18-4) will have another crack at their own state berth as they take on No. 3 Genesee today at 6 p.m., also in the Activity Center.
Kubs show spirit
Though the match would ultimately turn into a rout, it started off with glimmers of momentum and abundant positive energy behind the Kamiah effort. A deafening roar of approval (the first of many) arose from the Kubs' bench as Karlee Skinner found the open court to give her team a 1-0 lead to start the evening. Kamiah would hold early leads in both of the first two sets before Troy took over by the midway point, then slammed the door quickly in the third.
Even as the Trojans reached a level of play that turned things thoroughly uncompetitive in the closing stages, the Kubs remained valiant to the last point. Trailing 24-8 in the third, multiple Kamiah players went sprawling to the floor saving would-be match-ending shots before the ball finally went spinning off into the stands, well outside any defender's reach.
Laney Landmark (seven kills, 14 digs) was a stalwart for the Kubs on both offense and defense.
Trojans in their element
The Troy fan section regularly chanted "T! H! S!" with each letter corresponding to a touch of the ball by the Trojans as they dug, set and spiked mid-rally. A favorite pattern of play saw the ball passed to setter Olivia Tyler, who would loft it to her left for outside hitter Dericka Morgan to dispense with.
Morgan was a dominating presence at net throughout the first two sets, mixing thundering spikes with deft touch shots and angles to keep the Kamiah defense guessing. She also served a run of eight points that all but put the match to bed while Jolee Ecklund took over in the forecourt as the Trojans advanced from 12-5 to 20-5 in the final set.
Trojan players were in good spirits throughout and could be seen laughing, embracing and dancing to the music played during timeouts.
"I think it was a really good experience," said Morgan, who finished with 17 kills and a 12-for-13 serving performance to her credit. "Our team plays really well together. I think our best thing that we do is have fun together and play as a family."
Ecklund, who tallied 13 kills and served 16-for-16 with four aces, offered similar remarks when interviewed independently.
"I think we played like a family today, and I think that helped us take home the championship," she said. "I think this year, we're really focusing on our ability to stay level no matter what and stay mentally tough through it all. I think that helps us play a lot more together and better."
A longtime small-school volleyball dynasty, Troy is coming off back-to-back state titles, with all of this season's leaders having taken part in the 2022 title run.
Kubs, Bulldogs to battle for berth
Earlier in the evening, Genesee topped Logos of Moscow 25-18, 15-25, 25-21, 25-15 in loser-out play to set up the showdown with Kamiah for the district's second state berth.
Chloe Grieser (19 kills), Audrey Barber (21-for-22 serving) and Mia Scharnhorst (25 digs) were among the key performers in the victory.
The Bulldogs (15-5) have been perennial bridesmaids in the Whitepine League Division I, and made a runner-up showing to Troy at State last year. Kamiah has taken over that role this year, beating Genesee three times from three meetings — though the last two encounters have gone five sets, including one on Monday in the district winner's bracket semifinal round. The Bulldogs will have one last chance today to reclaim their historic standing.
"It's always a battle, and tomorrow it's going to be a battle, but we're excited to play with Genesee," Kamiah coach Jackie Landmark said. "It's always a fun match. We have 10 seniors that really want to make it to State, and it's going to take effort and excitement, energy and heart to make it."
