Trinity volleyball nips rival Bell, again

Last Friday’s five-set win (12-25, 25-13, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13) over rival L.D. Bell was probably most notable to Trinity volleyball coach Mia Langi and her players because it kept them in the hunt for one of the four playoff spots in District 7-6A, one of the toughest districts in the area. The win came in the Lady Trojans’ only game of the week following the team’s final open date Tuesday and was startlingly similar to the five-set win Trinity earned over Bell in the Lady Trojans’ district first win of the season (29-27, 22-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-9) way back on September 15.

In both, Bell (14-22, 2-6 in District 7-6A) took a 2-1 lead, forcing Trinity (24-11, 4-3) to lean on its experience for gutty wins in the fourth and fifth sets. But that wasn’t the match’s only significance.

Friday’s win at Bell marked Trinity’s seventh consecutive victory over its crosstown rival dating back to the 2012 season. Including tournament meetings in non-district play, the Lady Trojans have dominated the rivalry with wins in 11 of the last 14 meetings between the two schools, dating back to the 2010 season.

In the rivalry’s lates installment, middle blocker Elli Merchant led the Lady Trojans with 13 kills, but she combined with setter Margaret Dean and outside hitters Zoe Howard and Jaelah Rhinehart for 43, totalling the bulk of Trinity’s offensive output. Middle blocker Abby Morphew had nine blocks, a season-high for any Lady Trojan this year, and Merchant added six more.

Libero Amanda McDowell led Trinity with 27 digs, but Dean’s 20 digs and team-high 32 assists gave the junior another triple-double, her third of the year.

For Bell, Allison Barton led with 18 kills, and middle blocker Sidra Triplett added 16. Sydney Williams added 13 kills, while libero Bella Burns led the Lady Raiders defensively with 27 digs. Setter Sophie Rodgers had 46 assists in the loss.

Carroll, ranked No. 1 in Class 6A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association, swept Bell (25-9, 25-12, 25-16) for the second time this season last Tuesday. Rodgers had 16 assists against Carroll, but the Lady Raiders’ offense couldn’t get through the blocking and defense of the state power.

Bell will need to rack up the district wins in a hurry as only four matches remain in the regular season schedule for the Lady Raiders. Trinity, with five matches remaining, starts the week in fourth place and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Trinity volleyball nips rival Bell, again."