Credit to Parker Smith

A FHN volleyball player spikes a ball over the net.

St. Charles, MO – The Trojans secured a victory over the Knights in the fifth set last night, but it wasn’t simply points that gave them the advantage playing on the road.

With each Trojan score, the home crowd only grew quieter. Parents and JV players on Troy’s side filled the gym at Francis Howell North with their cheers, giving the Trojans the momentum they needed to finish the comeback.

“Volleyball is a weird game,” Troy coach Colin Nelson said. “Momentum really can shift on a dime.”

It became fairly clear who would pull away with a win after Troy’s Lauren Garrett went on a late serving run in the fifth set. If momentum hadn’t shifted when Garrett went back to serve, it definitely did by the time the Knights got the serve back.  However, the Trojans weren’t handed the victory on a silver platter. With a final scoreline of 25-27, 25-19, 26-24, 18-25, 15-10 the Knights put up a strong fight throughout the match, with Libero Sara Ausbury and Defensive Specialist Addison Polsgrove keeping the Trojan hitters in check.

“I feel like all of our back row played a great game tonight,” North coach Danielle Dagenais said. “I think our serve receive started off rough in that first set, and then they passed better than I’ve seen them play.”

This is no surprise to Knights fans since Ausbury and Polsgrove have combined for a total of 514 digs on the season, and they haven’t slowed down. Tonight, the Knights defense was one of their biggest contributors in staying toe-to-toe with the Trojans.

“I think defensively, we were really good at covering the court,” Polsgrove said. “We did well with where they were putting their attacks and adapting to it.”

Coming into the game 7-13-3, with a three set win over Holt the night before, the Knights seemed to be the favorite, especially with the 3-10-2 record held by Troy. The Trojans were also coming off a three set loss to North’s sister school, Francis Howell Central. This marked the second time the two schools have competed against each other this season, with Troy defeating North on Sept. 7 in a four set match, the Trojans will walk away with a 2-0 record against the Knights this year. 

Both teams look to learn and move on from the game quickly, considering each school has three matches next week. Troy hopes to carry the momentum from tonight’s win into their games against Holt, Fort Zumwalt West and Fort Zumwalt East, while North is looking to regroup and refocus before their matches against Fort Zumwalt East, Francis Howell Central and Fort Zumwalt North.

“You can always get better from a loss,” Polsgrove said. “We just need to take what we did wrong and practice on it.”