The South Tama varsity volleyball team hosted their annual home Invite on Saturday, Sept. 28. After a full day of action, the Trojans walked away with a solid second place finish.

In the opening match of the day, STC got off to a fast start and defeated East Marshall in two sets (21-11, 21-15). For the match, senior co-captain Macy Welsh led the Trojans in kills with five. Senior Skyla Beck led with eight assists. Beck and freshman Brylee Nelson led the team with seven digs each.

In the second match of the day, the Trojans dropped a three-set match against the Perry Jayettes (21-11, 15-21, 8-15). This meant the Trojans faced a pivotal third match in their pool play against the Lisbon Lions.

In that highly competitive match, the Trojans scored a huge victory in three sets to win their pool (21-15, 14-21, 15-12). Head Coach Sam Cantonwine stated that it was a significant win, not just for the tournament, but for the program.

“Since I have started coaching, we have never been able to beat Lisbon. We finally did,” she said.

Senior co-captain Janette Cervantes led STC with 11 kills. Beck once again led with 12 assists, while Cervantes and senior co-captain Cailey Brown led with 8 digs each. Sophomore Paisley Bro contributed two blocks to lead the Trojans.

After pool play, STC moved to the semifinal of the tournament against the Belle Plaine Plainsmen. In dominating fashion, the Trojans were able to pull away in two sets and secure their place in the championship match (21-18, 21-11).

In that championship, STC faced the 3A #8 ranked Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks. The Trojans hung tough but eventually dropped the match in two sets (12-21, 19-21). Despite the loss, Cantonwine was proud of the team.

“We hung with Mid-Prairie and played really well,” she said.

Reflecting on the entire days’ action, the head coach summed up her thoughts.

“I believe the girls played their best volleyball of the season today. Our hitters were aggressive, we served tough, we passed well, our defense caused a lot of opponent’s errors, and our bench was fired up all day,” Cantonwine said. “The second place finish was our best in this tournament since I started coaching. I’m happy we played well but it leaves us hungry for more.”

The Trojans (9-14) will travel to LaPorte City on Saturday, Oct. 5, to participate in the Union Invite. They return home for a match against Benton on Tuesday evening, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.