Trojans win league opener against Grizzlies in four

Oak Ridge's varsity girls' volleyball team is off to a hot, 9-1, start this season. The team has a new head coach, James Todd, who is coming off an eight-year run as head coach at Christian Brothers. The Trojans opened up Sierra Foothill League play on Monday with a 3-1 win over Granite Bay, losing the first game, 31-29, before winning three straight games, 25-9, 25-15 and 25-16. Oak Ridge could have and probably should have won the first set, as they held two-point leads of 22-20 and 23-21, but couldn't close out the match. The Trojans also had three set points at 25-24, 27-26 and 28-27 but couldn't get it done. Granite Bay had one game-point at 26-25 that the Trojans kept them from winning then, but the Grizzlies got the set on their second game point leading 30-29. "We were sluggish in set one," Todd said. "Those Monday games are tough without getting a practice beforehand. We didn't find our rhythm until late in the set." Haddy Samba led the Grizzlies in the first set with five kills and an ace. Brielle Honebein added three kills, Kate Bousfield had two and Allison Powell had two blocks. Though the Trojans dropped the first set, they rebounded quickly and well, as they jumped out to an early lead and went to win the second set easily, 25-9. That momentum, along with solid play, continued on through the rest of the game for the Trojans. Leading the way were Madelyn Snyder and Kelsey Frank, who had 14 and 13 kills, respectively. Whenever the Trojans needed a big kill, one of those two got it. Frank also contributed seven aces, while Kaya Charles had four kills. "In sets two, three and four, we passed the ball and executed well," Todd said. "We were able to be a little bit more dynamic on offense, moving the ball around and that was a bit more exciting." Todd said the team's strengths are defense and ball-handling. "We're not going to be one of the bigger teams, so we're going to hang our hat on serve-receive and defense," Todd said. "The Sierra Foothill League is wide open and anyone can win it. It will be tough. Rocklin is formidable and really loaded. Folsom has a lot of athletes and Del Oro is right up there. It will be a tough battle. There are no cupcakes in the league."