Lady Trojans overcome Ram front line for five-set win

Lady Trojan libero Skylar Cossaboon digs a Lafayette serve as teammate Rachel Byers observes.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Using their front line height advantage to force a decisive fifth set, Lafayette’s Rams appeared to take charge in Tuesday night’s volleyball match at New Kent. But the host Lady Trojans had a bit more left in the tank.

Led by middle blocker Katie Ilch and libero Skylar Cossaboon, the hosts wrested control from the Rams midway through the final set. Cossaboon, who had four aces on the night, served for six unanswered points, stretching a one-point advantage to a 13-6 lead.

During the run, Ilch dominated from her middle blocking position with three kills. The last of her team-high 13 kills for the match off a Gina Sledd set opened a 14-9 advantage, just before the Rams handed the victors the 25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 12-25, 15-9 win on a spiking miscue.

“It was her best game ever, both spiking and blocking,” Lady Trojan coach Cyndi Burnett said of Ilch’s performance. The senior also led the team in blocks with five.

Burnett, meanwhile, labeled the match with Lafayette “as kind of a showdown.” Each team has incurred two losses to Bay Rivers District opponents, both at the hands of Jamestown and Lafayette. And each team has wins over the same opponents.

New Kent owned the early momentum, thanks in part to numerous Ram mistakes, building a 24-14 lead in set one. Lafayette, however, closed the gap to one before Millie Rudolph’s kill on a Sledd assist blunted the comeback.

But the Rams took advantage of New Kent errors to even the match at a set apiece. The Lady Trojans took set three by a comfortable margin but fell flat in the fourth.

“We looked like we were ready to go home in the fourth game,” said Burnett. “We don’t have a consistent offense that can put games away. Still, we looked like a totally different team after that fourth game. How do you explain that? It’s the nature of the beast, but this was definitely a good win for us.”

The decision upped New Kent’s record to 9-3. Sledd posted 35 assists while Brianne Wayman and Sydney Griffith managed seven kills each. On defense, Rudolph led with 18 digs while Cossaboon contributed 14.