The Trojans celebrated their last home game of the regular season with a win over Liberty on Oct. 7. The game was back-and-forth, but West came out on top 3-2.
The teams were equally matched in the first set, eventually tying at 14. Liberty gained a lead towards the end, which only grew until they won the set 25-18.
Their momentum continued into the second set, pushing to 4-0. However, after a timeout from West, the Trojans caught up to tie at 4-4, eventually forcing Liberty to call a timeout at 12-11, Liberty. West kept driving forward until they won the set 25-17.
West lagged behind in the third set, later calling a timeout when they were down 19-15. Although Liberty pushed the score to 23-20, West went on a five-point run to win the set 25-23.
The fourth set was a back and forth battle, but the Bolts pulled ahead to 14-10, forcing West into a timeout at 18-13. Liberty didn’t let up, however, winning the set 25-18.
The Trojans came out swinging in the final set, putting the first point on the scoreboard with a kill from opposite hitter Josie Austen ’29. Their offense only gained momentum, with more kills from Taylor Otte ’28, Sophia Austen ’27 and Cyan Blommer ’29, leading to Liberty calling a timeout at 7-4. As Liberty started to catch up, West called a time out at 10-9. The two teams duked it out over the next seven points, but the Trojans came out on top 15-11.
West and Liberty are currently tied for first in the Mississippi Valley Conference. With this win, West has a 5-1 conference record and a 18-4 overall record. West is ranked eighth in the state. The MVC Championship Tournament will be on Oct. 14 at 5:00 p.m. at Cedar Falls High School. The Trojans will then enter competitive regional play on the road to state.
