Timothy Christian’s girls volleyball team looks as if it hasn’t missed a beat after a third-place finish last year in the 2A playoffs.
The Trojans finished first in the TC/Westmont Invite and hadn’t dropped a game through their first nine matches of the season. The Trojans have a strong, disciplined attack led by senior hitter Ava Venema.
“We work every day on defense and on our fundamentals in practice,” Venema said. “We try and make everything work together and make the plays we need to.”
During Timothy Christian’s 25-9, 25-16 win over Elmwood Park on Thursday, Sept. 8, Venema succeeded on that front. She was a force for the Trojans with eight kills and two aces. Her powerful spikes overwhelmed the Tigers’ defense, and she also was effective defensively at the net in challenging the Tigers’ attempts.
“That’s what we need (Venema) to do,” Trojans coach Scott Piersma said. “She’s a big-time player and can make those big plays for us when we need her to do.”
Venema’s points came in bunches and at crucial moments for the Trojans.
In the second game, the Trojans got off to a slow start and were tied at 10-10. They were able to gain the lead on unforced errors, and Venema put the game out of reach with three straight kills during a 10-1 run.
“We slowed down a little and got away from what we can do, but it’s good to see that we can still get in a good rhythm,” Piersma said.
Coming off 36- and 37-win seasons the past two years, Venema and the Trojans have a long way to go before the state tournament. Regardless of the opposition, Venema explained how they get themselves mentally prepared before a match.
“During all matches, but especially the big matches, we look at the other team and we see what they’re doing and we start to talk to one another about what we need to do,” Venema said.
Senior hitter Kendra Teune added six kills against Elmwood Park, junior setter Tracy Westra had 20 assists and senior Zoe Stanton had 12 digs.
“When we all play together and can play together as a team, we can do a lot of great things,” Venema said.
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Chris Vavra is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @ChrisVavra1