Bellingham, WA - The Everett Community College volleyball team opened up the 2021 campaign going 2-2 over the weekend, and keeping Trojan fans on the edge of their seats with three of those matches going the distance for all 5 sets. After opening up with a 3-0 defeat to a very good Clark College team, Everett responded later that day by defeating Big Bend 3-2, led by Erin Ingram who recorded a team high 17 kills and 14 digs. The win marked not only the first of the season, but also the first career win for new head coach Whitney Williams.
Day two found the Trojans back in Bellingham and down 2 sets to 0 to Southwestern Oregon CC in the third game of the mini tournament. Everett responded by taking set three in a controlling fasion by a score of 25-18 and holding on for a 20-25 win in set 4. With momentum on their side and SWOCC on the ropes, Everett finished out the come from behind win by taking set 5 by a final score of 15-7. Stasia Kaahanui had 10 kills, 23 digs, and 4 service aces and Sarah Campfield made her presence felt at the net with 7 kills on a .375 hitting percentage with 8 blocks.
The final game of the day came against a solid program in Highline. It was a back and forth affair with Everett taking the first and third sets, and Highline taking the 2nd and 4th sets forcing a 3rd straight 5th set match for the Trojans. After an early lead for EvCC, Highline came roaring back and was able to close out the match with a 15-11 win. Despite the loss, Everett showed much improvement in a balanced attack with Devon McHenry securing 10 points, Stasia Kaahanui 10 points, Erin Ingram 10 points, Rachael Hendrickson 11.5 points, and Sarah Campfield with 12 points.
After the weekend, coach Williams said that she was very proud with how her team battled and was impressed with the growth that she saw. Jayda Grosboll carried the majority of the workload in the setter position, totaling 113 assists, ranking her currently 5th in the NWAC with 7.06 assists per set. Erin Ingram averaged over 2.5 kills per set, while the top defensive performers were Stasia Kaahanui with 56 total digs, and Sarah Campfield with 19 total blocks.
After having the week off, Everett will travel to Spokane where they will see stiff competition in powerhouse programs such as Pierce, Linn-Benton, and Spokane. The Trojans will face Pierce at 2pm on Friday, followed by Linn-Benton at 7:00pm. Saturday morning will wrap up pool play against Columbia Basin College and then a tournament finally against a seeded opponent from the other pool.