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NORRISTOWN – Marsi Fluehr-Trainor leaped off the team bench and applauded as her Wissahickon volleyball team – in its first match in the program’s history – had just rallied to win a game that trimmed Norristown’s lead to 2-1 in Tuesday afternoon’s season opener.
As the first-year coach applauded, her players smiled and allowed themselves a quiet celebration on the court.
It was, after all, their program’s first win. Even if it was just a game, not a match.
“We were like, ‘Okay, that’s good. We can go home happy now,’” Trojan sophomore Tara Rodgers said
But the Trojans didn’t go home after winning the third game, and they were a whole lot happier when – two games later – they had earned a 3-2 win over the stunned Eagles (19-25, 8-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-9).
It was an outcome perhaps no one could have anticipated.
“I’m basically here to learn volleyball, and so is everyone else,” Trojan sophomore Rachel Philbin said. “We weren’t expecting to win at all.
“To come out with our first win is just amazing. We didn’t even know each other before the season started. We’ve known each other – what, two weeks? These girls have probably been playing with each other for years.”
The Trojans won because they were relentless on defense, laying it on the line to make sure no ball would touch the court and playing with the kind of hustle and desire that was impossible for the Eagles to match.
“Hustle is the number one thing in volleyball,” Philbin said. “You can hit as hard as you want, you can serve as hard as you want, but if you’re not hustling on defense, you’re not going to win.
“That’s basically how we won a lot of our points because they weren’t prepared to hit it back.”
The Trojans actually served early notice that they meant business when they opened up a 4-1 lead in game one, benefitting from a Philbin service ace as well as several Eagle hitting errors. The Eagles came roaring back and led 17-9 after a Natasha Brodoski service winner.
The Eagles still led by seven (20-13) after an Alex Silks kill, and they went on to earn a 25-19 win with Brodoski – only a sophomore – delivering a winner for game point.
In game two, the Eagles led 8-2 after back-to-back service aces by Maggie Creciun, who reeled off five straight points in a run that included three aces.
Brodoski served for the final 12 points of the game with Silks delivering a kill for game point.
Down but not out, the feisty Trojans came roaring back in game three but not before the Eagles – behind a six-point service run by junior Brittany Sorgini - scored six straight to open the game.
The Eagles still led by five (16-11), but a Deanna Bianchini kill was followed by a Norristown miscue and a Brooke Anderson winner to make it a two-point game (16-14). It was still a two-point game (20-18) after a Gina Villante kill, but after a Norristown net serve was followed by a Rodgers ace, knotting the score 20-20.
The Trojans went on top 22-20 after a Philbin kill, but the Eagles evened the score when Kaitlynn Reed came up with a kill. A pair of Norristown hitting errors set the stage for the historic win – the program’s first ever.
“We made mistakes, but we got right back up,” Philbin said. “No one dwelled on it. No one was putting anyone down.
“It was just a positive attitude, but Norristown – I could see from their faces – was getting (mad) at their players, and that’s not going to help.”
In game three, the two teams were deadlocked 15-15, but the Trojans took a lead they would not lose after an Eagle net serve. A Bianchini winner put the Trojans on top 20-15, and it was a 24-17 game after a dig by Rodgers fell in for a winner.
“In practice we’re hesitant,” Rodgers said. “But today, we were like – I don’t want to say animals, but we were after every single ball. It was awesome.”
In the winner-take-all fifth game, a pair of Norristown hitting errors spotted the Trojans a 2-0 lead. A Norristown serve out of play put the Trojans on top 8-4, and they led 13-7 after a Rodgers ace, prompting an Eagles’ timeout.
It didn’t help.
Rodgers delivered a service winner, and the Trojans won it on a Norristown serving error for match point.
“This was great, and it will definitely boost our confidence,” Rodgers said. “Our goal really was to have fun and get to know the game.
“People don’t realize how hard of a sport volleyball is. Everyone thinks you just hit a ball around, but they don’t realize how much more there is to it. For a program to be started like this is amazing. Now people can experience what we’re experiencing. This feels awesome. I was just shaking.”
The win was especially gratifying for Fluehr-Trainor.
“When I saw that score 11-7 in the last game, I said, ‘I know these girls are going to do this,’” theTrojans’ coach said. “They’re a good group of girls. You think about the heat we were in back on Aug. 17 when the season started.
“They were there every day. It’s a very good group of close girls even though they didn’t know each other before. They’re building relationships.”
And everyone is contributing – from the players on the court to Kelly Markham, the team’s lone senior who leads the cheers from the bench.
“From our scrimmages, I expected us to do well as a team but probably not beat teams like this because they have had volleyball, and this is our first year,” Philbin said. “I’m actually really shocked how well we did and really, really proud too.”
And as beginnings go, they don’t get much better than this one.
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