Trojanettes overpower Schulenberg in state semifinals
One of the state’s most prestigious volleyball programs is back in the title game.
The Windthorst Trojanettes are one win away from building monument No. 14 after a 3-1 (25-15, 2518, 22-25, 25-11) pounding of Schulenberg in the state semifinals on Wednesday at the Culwell Center in Garland.
To do so, they need a win on Friday against a familiar foe. Windthorst (408) and Lindsay (39-9) clash at 3 p.m. for all the marbles after the Lady Knights outlasted Leon in five (25-21, 22-25, 20-25, 25-10, 15-12).
“Getting to this point is great and coming out with a win is a wonderful feeling,” Windthorst head coach Allison Bussey said. “We know now that we have to refocus and get ready for Lindsay on Friday. This was an awesome all-around win for our team.”
Making its 23rd appearance at the state tournament, the moment was never too big for Windthorst.
“Our fan base has a lot to do with keeping calm,” Bussey, who’s coaching in her third state tournament, said. “The whole town of Windthorst was here today. Just looking up and seeing them in the stands gives the girls some comfort. Their parents, friends and classmates are all up there. That support is huge for us.”
Windthorst’s front row rotation of Tara Tackett, Keaira Fillingim, Abby Schroeder, Rylee Wolf, Annikah Frank and Bree Kirk proved to be a wall the Lady Horns could not overcome. The Trojanettes combined for 10 blocks, including five by Tackett, to prevent the Schulenberg offense from ever finding any rhythm.
Wolf remained the Trojanettes model of consistency, turning in a 19-kill, nine-dig, two-block effort to power the Windthorst attack. Frank added 14 kills, 22 digs and three aces to complement Wolf while Tackett chipped in seven kills, three aces and the aforementioned five blocks. Kirk rounded out the offense with five kills and 11 digs.
Lindley and Violet West handed out 24 and 16 digs, respectively, to orchestrate an offense that hit .224.
After getting off to slow starts in numerous matches throughout the postseason, the Trojanettes came out clicking from the start. Windthorst opened the match on a 9-1 run thanks to five hitting errors by Schulenberg and three quick kills from Frank. The lead ballooned out to 2211 after back-to-back aces from Frank before a service error staked the Trojanettes a 1-0 lead in the match.
“From the moment we stepped on the court, we were so focused and ready,” Bussey said. “We watched some film and knew a little bit of what to expect against them. Defensively we were very prepared and I thought our defense came through big for us today.”
The hot-start continued into the second set before Schulenberg eventually found some offense. After Windthorst built an 8-2 cushion, the Lady Horns strung together a 10-2 run of their own to take their first lead of the night. With the Trojanettes trailing 15-14, Schulenberg committed six errors down the stretch with Wolf bookending the 11-3 run that saw Windthorst take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
The Lady Horns flipped the script on the Trojanettes late in the third set to get on the board. Tied at 19, Schulenberg’s Jessalyn Gipson put down three of her 16 kills to help the Lady Horns close out the set.
“Instead of losing the set being a bad thing, we used it as fuel in the fourth set,” Kirk stated. “They were a good team. We couldn’t just play and win. We had to work hard because they were good too.”
Windthorst wasted no time swinging the momentum back in its favor. Even at 8-8 in the fourth, the Trojanettes mounted a 14-1 run to essentially put the match out of reach before Frank spiked the match-clinching kill to send Windthorst to the state finals for the first time since 2015.
“I came in thinking it was just another game,” Frank said. “Just because it’s bigger and the crowds are bigger, we’re going to play like we’ve been playing since the start of playoffs.”
With one final game on the schedule, Bussey had one last message for her squad – never settle.
“One thing I told them in the huddle was to never settle. We knew that getting to this point was one of our goals and now that we’re here we don’t want to just settle for being here and playing in the state tournament. We want to push and strive to go all the way.”
