IN REVIEW: It's a Troy tradition: Trojans claim their 11th state title
1A squads had no luck slowing down the Trojans on their way to another crown
The Troy Trojans' 2018 1A Division I state volleyball title, clinched Saturday in Nampa through a pair of victories over Ambrose of Meridian, was their second in the past three years with a runner-up finish to Horseshoe Bend in between.
They have qualified for State in more than 20 consecutive seasons and won 11 titles in program history.
Asked to explain her team's perennial success, Troy coach Deborah Blazzard is perennially self-deprecating.
"Honestly, I would just have to say we have such a strong tradition here, and just really good support, because obviously I just get these girls for three months out of the year," said Blazzard, who served four years as an assistant coach before stepping into the head coach role these past four seasons. "It's really the families that do the extra work behind the scenes, then I just get to have these wonderful athletes. ... It was just a super-fun season and definitely enjoyable as a coach, but I take no credit."
Blazzard considers Troy's semifinal win over Ambrose - a 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-12 "fight" which saw the Trojans lose a set to a fellow 1A school for the first and last time in the season - to have been the pivotal match of this year's state tournament. She was particularly proud of her players' sustained self-belief after the Meridian squad, which had also gone undefeated on the season in 1A competition, rallied from losing the first two frames to take the third.
"We knew we were gonna win the game," said Blazzard. "We had just lost that set, but we knew."
Ambrose bested fellow Troy-victim Grace to earn a rematch, but the Trojans, emboldened by their first victory of the day, marched to a 25-22, 25-8, 25-6 rout in that title contest.
Junior outside hitter Lindsey Kwate, who had led the Troy offense all season, did not relent on Saturday; she delivered a season-best 32 kills in the semifinal, then 20 more in the final. At 5-foot-9, Kwate is not exceptionally tall for an outside hitter, but she has the athleticism to rain down lethal strikes from above the net all the same.
"She can definitely elevate," Blazzard said of Kwate. "She's got some hops."
Other Troy standouts included fellow outside hitter Jordyne Fredrickson, along with defenders Isabelle Raausch and Morgan Blazzard (daughter of the coach). The 2018 Trojans went 19-0 in 1A contests, while Deborah Blazzard estimated their final record to total 30-8 counting best-of-three-set tournament play which pitted them against large-school opponents such as Mead and Puyallup.
Fredrickson was one of four seniors to complete their high school careers at the state tournament, and will be "an absolute loss for us, because she was such a great passer," according to coach Blazzard. There will also be openings for two middle blockers and a right-side defender on the 2019 Trojan varsity.
Kwate, however, is expected to return for her senior year, while Raausch and the younger Blazzard are freshmen with three more seasons ahead of them to help carry on Troy's tradition of excellence.
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Wendt may be contacted at sports@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2268.
