NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTOS BY STEVE BRANT - STC senior Paisley Bro contributes one of her team-leading 11 digs against Benton.

On a night where the STC volleyball program celebrated two seniors — Paisley Bro and Desiray Popelka — the Trojans swept Benton, 3-0, in their final regular season appearance at home, as they awaited word on their postseason assignment.

“My emotions were definitely through the roof,” said Bro about her and Popelka’s senior night honors. “Knowing that it was possibly my last home match was very emotional. But I’m grateful to be with this group of girls. I wouldn’t have wanted my senior year to be with anyone else.”

The Trojans rode a dominant performance in their serving game, as they served up an impressive 26 aces against the Bobcats. At one point in the opening game, when STC was up 7-6, junior Stella Zmolek served six aces in a row to extend the Trojan lead to 13-6. STC went on to win the first game 25-22. Following that, the Trojans won games 2 and 3 by a score of 28-26 and 25-20.

“We played really well together as a team and kept each other up,” said Bro after the victory against the Bobcats. “We stayed in the next-point-mentality the whole game. I was most proud of the connection we kept the entire night.”

On the night, Zmolek led the team with a total of 11 aces. Juniors Shelby Johannsen, Brylee Nelson, Maylee Rucker, and Layla Pansegrau all contributed 3. Zmolek also led the team in kills with 9, while Bro added 7, and junior Kenzi Boriskey added 5. Rucker (13) and Pansegrau (9) led the team in assists. The team leaders in digs included: Bro (11), Rucker (8), Pansegrau (6), junior Scout Ridout (5), and junior Sydney Arp (4).

STC senior Desiray Popelka returns serve against Benton on her senior night.

After their victory against the Bobcats, the Trojan’s season record stood at 23-12. The match ended their regular season schedule. The Trojans finished tied for third place in the WaMaC conference this year, with a conference record of 3-2. Solon (5-0) won the regular-season title, while CCA (4-1) and Grinnell (4-1) tied for second.

STC traveled to Solon on Thursday, October 15, to participate in the annual WaMaC conference tournament. Results were not available at press time this week.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, two days after their victory against Benton, it was announced that the Trojans will host their first postseason tournament match at home. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, STC will host Columbus Catholic in the IGHSAU Class 3A, Region 3 quarterfinal. The match will begin at 7:00 p.m. Other teams in the Trojan’s bracket vying for a trip to the state tournament in Iowa City (Nov. 2-5) include: Oelwein, Dike-New Hartford, Knoxville, Davis County, Centerville, and Williamsburg.

Asked about what it meant to be able to host their first postseason match, Bro summed up the team’s mindset.

“We are all very excited to be home. We are strong-willed and very competitive. We want to win more than anything — not just for ourselves but for each other. We know how big of an opportunity this is and can’t wait to see how far we can take our season,” she said.

STC junior Maylee Rucker had four kills against Benton.

STC junior Sydney Arp had 4 digs against Benton.

STC junior Scout Ridout gets one of her 4 kills against Benton.

STC junior Kenzi Boriskey scores a kill against Benton.

STC junior Stella Zmolek gets one of her team-leading 9 kills against Benton.

The Trojans celebrate their match-victory point against Benton on Tuesday, Oct. 6.