No. 3 Trojans Fall in Hard-Fought Matches in Laramie Tournament

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The No. 3 Colby Trojans played two matches on Friday (Aug. 29) facing off against No. 6 Northeastern Plainswomen and the host Laramie County Golden Eagles at the Marriott Springhill Suites Cheyenne Invite in Cheyenne, Wyo.

The Trojans and Plainswomen went back and forth in a highly competitive opening set. NJC struck first, but the Trojans quickly answered with two straight points, including a kill by Karlotta Kattai. Ella Dridi added a pair of kills to keep Colby tied early, but the Plainswomen used a run to build an 11-6 lead, forcing a timeout from head coach Carey Jones. Out of the break, the Trojans clawed back with kills from Kattai and Amanda Caputi, trimming the deficit. NJC pushed ahead 20-15, but Colby responded with a 5-0 run capped by an ace to even the score at 20. The Trojans surged ahead 21-20 before NJC was forced to burn a second timeout. Down the stretch, Kattai delivered key back-row kills to keep Colby alive, but service errors proved costly, and Northeastern narrowly escaped with the set, 27-25.

The Trojans came out strong in the second set with back-to-back points, but Northeastern quickly responded and the set turned into another tight battle. Dridi and Kami Cowdrey added kills to keep Colby within striking distance, while Kattai delivered another back-row kill to even the score at 10. The Trojans grabbed momentum with a Chiara Binda kill and a double block by Binda and Caputi, pushing Colby ahead 14-12 and forcing an NJC timeout. Binda followed with another powerful kill to extend the lead to three, but the Plainswomen answered with a run of their own to regain control at 18-16. After a Colby timeout, NJC closed the door with a 7-1 stretch, taking the second set 25-17.

In the third set, Colby grabbed an early edge with a Cowdrey kill and an ace from Binda to go up 8-6. However, NJC responded with a run that put the Trojans on their heels and forced a timeout. Cowdrey added another kill to keep Colby fighting, but the Plainswomen maintained control down the stretch and closed out the set 25-14 to complete the sweep.

In the second match of the day against host Laramie County, the Trojans came out strong with Kattai slamming down the first point of the match. Cowdrey followed with a kill to put Colby up 4-2, and the Trojans kept battling through a back-and-forth stretch that saw LCCC edge ahead 13-10. Colby answered with clutch plays, as Cowdrey notched another kill before back-to-back aces from Isadora Carrareto flipped the momentum and gave the Trojans a 14-13 lead. Ella Dridi added a soft but decisive kill, and Chiara Binda powered home a shot to extend the advantage. With Amanda Caputi and Binda teaming up for a block and Kattai hammering down multiple kills, Colby looked poised to close out the opening set, leading 22-19. However, late miscues and strong rallies by the Golden Eagles allowed the hosts to storm back, stealing the set 27-25.

The Trojans carried that same intensity into the next two sets, battling point-for-point with the Golden Eagles. Each frame stayed tight down the stretch, but Laramie County was able to make the key plays late, edging Colby 25-22 in the second and 25-21 in the third to complete the sweep. Despite the result, it was a hard-fought match with the Trojans pushing the hosts in every set.

The Trojans turn their attention to later today (Aug. 30) with two more matches on the slate. Colby opens play at 11 a.m. against Central Arizona College, which enters 3-2 after dropping its last two in the tournament. That match will be streamed live through Colby Athletics since it will be played in the back gym. The Trojans will then square off at 5 p.m. against an unbeaten Casper College squad that has already picked up wins over Central Arizona and KJCCC opponent Garden City. 

Live Video - G1

Live Video - G2