On October 7, the Trojans battled with the Salem Tigers at home on the Trojans’ Pink Out Night. Pink Out Night has been a tradition for the Trojans by honoring the women who’ve survived or lost the battle to breast cancer.

Starting off the set, Sophomore Kadence Sadler served an ace for the Trojans making the score 1-0 in the Trojans favor. Throughout the beginning of the first set the score was neck and neck with one or two points going to the Tigers or vice versa. The Trojans then began to cost themselves a few points by sending free balls over the net instead of hits. This caused Coach Sadler to call the first timeout of the game with the score being 15-12 Trojans. The Trojans started to pick up the pace and allowed them to pick up points as well. Junior Chelbi Poucher came through with three digs in the set saving the Trojans from giving up more points. Salem called a timeout with a score of 20-14 Trojans to strategize on how to dig themselves out of the hole. Junior Samantha Huck after the timeout pulled through with five consecutive serves to keep the Trojans on top. The set ended with Potosi on top 25-17. 

Junior Anita McCaul started off the second set with a kill and earned a point for the Trojans. Similar to the first set the second started off with the Trojans and Tigers neck and neck. Potosi continued to keep the lead and moved away from the close score causing Salem to call a timeout. Sophomore Jade Williams served six times in a row along with the two aces served as well. 

“I was just thinking about getting them [the serves] in and over the net. I was very nervous, but my teammates really helped me to be calm plus I was very excited to be serving as long as I did and score many points with my serves,” Williams said. After Williams lost her serve Salem called for a timeout at 18-7 Trojans. Salem gained a few points before the end of the set, but was not enough to come out on top. On set point, Sophomore Audrey Neel had a dig along with Williams who got a kill off of Neel’s dig. The set ended 25-15 Potosi. 

The third set started along with the others being neck and neck. Quickly the Trojans pulled ahead and earned multiple points. Toward the beginning of the set Salem served, Huck shanked the ball, Junior Carley Hampton quickly recovered the ball, Sadler free balled it over, and at the end of the play McCaul stuffed the ball on Salem making the score 11-7 Trojans. Just a point after McCaul’s stuff the Tigers called a timeout. McCaul also had two consecutive blocks earning a point and making the score 16-9.

 “It [back to back blocks] felt amazing because of all the work and effort I have put in for my blocking. And all of that is possible because of my awesome teammates and coaches. I always want to push myself to the best I can be for my teammates and coaches,” McCaul said. Neel delivered a kill to the Tigers resulting in another point for Potosi making it 19-10. Potosi closed out Salem with a missed serve from Salem. The score for the third set was 25-16.

Potosi came out on top of Salem 3-0. “The team played really well. I mean at the beginning of the season I feel like we were kinda holding back and not playing to the best of our ability. But now we are really playing well together and coming together to play as a whole team and we’re all really having fun playing volleyball this year,” Huck stated.