Athletic Trojanettes continue to grow

Athletic. That’s the word Windthorst Head Coach Allison Bussey used to describe her 2021 team.

“We are very scrappy; we can jump; we have a lot of big hitters. Defensively we are all over the place. We have a lot of heart and a lot of fight in us.”

After last season came to a disappointing end in the bi-district round against Chico, the Trojanettes have hopes of making the regional tournament in 2021.

“I’m hoping we can win some playoff games,” Bussey said. “It would be awesome to make it back to the regional tournament again. Starting small, we’ve got to get better each and every week. We have three tournaments in a row. We’ll have little goals and things to work on for every one of those tournaments to hopefully make a good long playoff run.”

One of the biggest disadvantages the Trojanettes faced last year was the absence of tournaments in the fall. That forced an already young roster to have to mature quickly before rolling into district play. This year, Windthorst already has 12 games under its belt, nearly half the total of last season despite only being in the third week of 2021.

“This year we’re able to go to tournaments which will help because we’re able to see lots of different teams,” Bussey said. “We’ll have a variety of teams. I also think it will help with our endurance, playing three, possibly four matches in one day. Last year we never got to see that and I felt anytime we had a four or a five set match we did get worn out a little bit. The tournaments will help get us into shape and then we’ll have to maintain that. Playing lots of tournament games will definitely help us get some reps in early. With having a new setter and a couple new players, the more repetition we can get the better.”

Headlining the Trojanettes returners is senior libero Camryn Latham. Latham collected District 9-2A’s Defensive Player of the Year honors after racking up 432 digs, 18 aces, 17 assists and 20 kills. “Camryn’s been on varsity since her sophomore year,” Bussey said of her senior.

“She has that leader mentality on the court. She’s very vocal. Everybody knows what to do because she directs the defense. I have her taking a little more responsibility on taking the second ball when the setter takes the first ball. She has improved at that so much in that area. Her serve-receive has improved so much. She’s a leader on the court for us as a go-to person.”

Newcomer senior Mikah Frank joins the Trojanettes on the court this fall after moving into the district for the spring semester last year.

“Mikah’s always wanting to get better,” Bussey highlighted. “She’s asking questions and trying to critique herself and get better each and every practice. I love that about her. She’s never satisfied. She always wants to push herself to improve.”

Brenna Anderle rounds out the senior class for the Trojanettes.

“Brenna is very vocal,” Bussey said. “I love that about her. She pushes her teammates, especially in the weight room. She’s not afraid to add weight and make her group add weight as well. That’s going to help the people around her get better and improve also.”

A talented junior and sophomore class rounds out the ranks for Windthorst

“I feel good about our senior leadership but we have some underclassmen as well that are going to have to be leaders as well.”

Junior Tara Tackett has served as the Trojanettes’ Swiss army knife for the past two seasons. Last year, she picked up Offensive Player of the Year honors following an impressive sophomore campaign of 228 kills, 30 aces, 240 assists, 225 digs and 42 blocks.

“Tara brings so much energy to our team,” Bussey said of her boisterous junior. “It doesn’t matter how we get a point; she’s going to be celebrating. She’s going to be loud. She’s going to be one of our go-to people this year. She’s still playing middle blocker for us but she’s playing more defense instead of having to set this year which is nice on her part. Defensively she’s done great so far. She’s in the right spots. Her serve-receive has been good. She is another leader that our underclassmen look up to because this will be her third year on varsity. She’ll play all the way around for us this season.”

Junior Bree Kirk was another do-it-all player for Windthorst in 2020. Despite her short height, Kirk has the athletic ability to jump out of the gym on the front row and her quickness allows her to get to a variety of shots on the back. Kirk’s play didn’t go unnoticed last season as she picked up Newcomer of the Year honors for the district following 41 kills, 15 aces, 16 assists, five blocks and 177 digs.

“Bree is very athletic,” Bussey said. “She’s someone that I can put anywhere. She’s almost like a utility player for us. She gets underestimated some times on the front row because of how small she is but her vertical is outrageous. The hitters think they can hit over her and around her but she touches a lot on the block. She’s very scrappy for us. She’s all over the place and very athletic for our team. I can throw her in anywhere. She had to set for us a little bit last year due to an injury so she’s played everywhere on the court for me.”

Junior Keaira Fillingim is transitioning to the right side hitter role for Bussey this season due to her solid blocking ability. Bussey believes that once Fillingim connects more with the setters, she will only improve her game.

Sophomore Annikah Frank is another all-around tremendous athlete for the Trojanettes. Along with her sister Mikah, Annikah comes over from Henrietta after playing with the Lady Cats last fall. Bussey highlights that the sophomore was just released from a foot injury suffered during softball season so she’s been limited in the early goings.

“Annikah is a go-getter,” Bussey explained. “She can be in the wrong spot but still be so quick and react so fast that she’ll be able to get to everything on the back row for me. Once she gets her timing down with our setters, she’s going to be a go-to for us.”

Sophomore Rylee Wolf gets another year to grow for the Trojanettes after having a breakout freshman campaign that put the rest of the league on notice. Wolf earned Setter of the Year honors but was a do-it-all for Windthorst, posting 247 kills, 76 aces, 235 assists, 19 blocks and 224 digs.

“Rylee started and played all the way around for us last year. She’s going to have to do the same thing this year. She’s a big, powerful hitter on the outside. She can hit any shot from the outside position. She’s gotten more aggressive with her serve. That’s improved a lot for her. She’s a quiet leader for us. Her blocking and hitting get the team excited. She makes the momentum come back to our side.”

Perhaps the player Bussey seems most excited about is freshman Megg Lindley. Bussey even highlighted that she may transition from a 5-2 to a 6-1 offense with Lindley on the court.

“Megg is one of the hardest workers in our whole program,” Bussey raved. “She was one that was always up at the gym, whether it be open gym, strength and conditioning or whatever. She was up here. She’s always wanting to work hard and get better. She’s one that always asks questions. I love that about her. She really wants to push herself so she can be the best player on our team. She’s such a hard worker and such a good kid. She would run through a brick wall for me. She’s going to eventually help lead this team. She has to be a leader at that setter position and be vocal. She’s getting used to the varsity pace.”

The variety of weapons the Trojanettes have at their disposal certainly makes them a team to keep your eye on this fall.