Maidens show tons of improvement, look to peak at tournament

RONAN - The Ronan volleyball team is still in search of its first victory of the season, but no team has improved as much from the start of the season as the Maidens and that progression was evident in their latest defeat - a nail-biting 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 25-15 four-set loss to the Troy Lady Trojans.

"The strides are slow but are coming together now so I hope it is at the right time to take us through the tournament area," head coach Naomi Mock said.

Ronan fell behind 5-0 early in the first set, but wouldn't be denied, taking the lead 18-16 to complete a 7-0 run.

Unfortunately, Ronan couldn't hold on to a slim 21-20 lead, dropping five of the set's final six points to go down a set.

The second set was a spitting image of the first, with Troy taking an early lead and Ronan fighting back to reclaim an advantage before the Lady Trojans took a commanding two-set lead by the same 25-22 margin.

The Maidens played arguably their best volleyball of the season early in the third set. Players were unrelenting in their defense, digging kill attempt after kill attempt by Troy before finishing the job themselves.

Ronan led 19-8 at one point in the third set and staved off defeat, taking the third set 25-20.

Unfortunately, the Lady Trojans came out nearly as hot in the fourth set, taking a 9-2 lead early. Ronan rallied on multiple occasions, but could only get within two points, falling 25-15.

"The effort was fantastic again, it was just making it through those tough patches and I think they could feel the win and now will be even more hungry for that feel again," Mock said.

Even in defeat, the Maidens are clearly not the team they were a couple months ago. A win isn't so much a hope as it is inevitable. Once some of their loose ends are tied up, they'll savor victory.

"The ladies have progressed together and are learning to trust and work together," Mock said. "I want to improve their ability to work through those tough points and keep their heads up to the next point and not let each point weigh so heavily on them."

The Maidens dominated Troy defensively, out-blocking them 10-7 and nearly doubling the Lady Trojans in digs (57-30). Ashleigh Lynch led the charge with seven of Ronan's 27 kills and 12 of the 57 digs, while Darian Blixt-Leo added a pair of blocks and a team-leading four aces.

Alaina Madsen and Bethany Colman also contributed a pair of blocks and Whisper Ivins notched five assists in the defeat. This week, the Maidens look for their first victory when they travel to Florence on Saturday, Oct. 15 and face Lake County rivals Mission and Arlee on Tuesday, Oct. 18 and Thursday, Oct. 20, respectively.