ARCANUM — The Arcanum Lady Trojans earned a statement victory on their home court, sweeping Northmont 25-21, 26-24, 25-21 in a nonconference volleyball match.
“It’s nice to get a sweep on your home court against a big GWOC school,” Arcanum coach Jacie Holman said. “We knew this was a big game for us, not just because it’s Northmont, but because it says a lot for tournament seeding.”
The teams played evenly throughout the opening set and were tied at 18 before Arcanum moved in front 22-19. Following a Northmont timeout, the Lady Trojans closed out a 25-21 victory.
Arcanum carried that momentum into the second set, building an early 10-3 advantage. The Thunderbolts battled back, pulling within 16-15 and later tying the score at 20, 21 and 24.
The Lady Trojans scored the final two points to escape with a 26-24 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
“We want people to look at the tournament seeding and say, ‘
Wow, not only did they beat them, but they beat them in three,’” Holman said. “I think that says a lot about this team.”
Northmont again challenged Arcanum in the third set. The teams were tied at 5, 10 and 15 before the Lady Trojans gained some separation with a 20-17 lead.
Arcanum maintained its advantage down the stretch and completed the sweep with another 25-21 victory.
Holman credited the Lady Trojans’ depth and balanced play.
“We don’t have one solid player; we have 13 solid players,” she said. “I know I can put any of the girls who were on the bench tonight into the game and feel just as confident. That’s one thing people don’t expect about us. Especially in that front row, we can go anywhere, and they can put the ball down.”
Despite having only one returning varsity player on the court at times, Arcanum has opened the season with six victories in seven matches.
“We would like to be more consistent, but when they are having fun, that’s where we tend to see better results,” Holman said. “We have to learn to be relaxed. We’re going to make mistakes, but we have to come back from those mistakes and fix them.
“We are going to get better every game we play. We’re going to become more consistent as the year goes on, and I know we’re going to be even tougher than we are now.”
