~Written by Reese Skutvik '28

On Friday, September 5 the Lady Tritons beat the Costa Mesa Mustangs at home with remarkable plays. The Tritons, only dropping one set, knew how to stay controlled even when the scores were drawing near to each other. The Tritons fought a hard battle in Set 3, securing it with a 28-26 win. Ella Hogan stole the show in this set, and ended the game with 10 kills as a dynamic middle blocker. Even though Ella's main job on the court is to make offensive plays on the net, she never failed to amaze the crowd when she completed two digs and two assists from the back row. The Tritons started off each set, staying close in score to the Mustangs. When the scores turned 15, the Tritons unlocked a new level of determination and the will power shown by every girl on the court was exceptional.

The Tritons offense was hard to beat. Charlotte Booth and Emma Hartman showed this by leaving it all on the court. Charlotte Booth had 12 kills, swinging, tipping, and roll shotting into every clear spot on the court. Along with 12 kills, she had five aces, throwing the Mustangs for a whirlwind when she was at the end line. They could never guess where she was going to serve next. Captain Emma Hartman put an end to the other teams defense by dominating the offense, having 15 successful swings that left the other team in shambles. These attacks were aided by Addie Roberson, completing the match with 29 assists as the senior starting setter. The Mustangs were thrown off by how diverse these hitters were and how smart they were while making decisions on the court. 

The Tritons offense was not one you can beat, but neither was their defense. Emery Heal covered the entire court as libero, making sure no balls dropped without her effort to get them up. Throughout the game, Emery Heal's 11 digs shifted the momentum of the game. When the Tritons were down at any point in time, Emery Heal knew how to bring up the energy of her teammates by giving her all for every play. In this match, the Tritons kept calm and consistent while making clever moves that kept the other team guessing.

The Tritons improve to 9-4 on the year and play their next match on September 11th, located at Pacifica Christian against Linfield Christian at 4pm. Be there or be square!

Set Scores:

25-17, 22-25, 28-26, 25-21