Trinity is set to begin play this evening in the All “A” State tournament and has high hopes of bringing home the title. The Lady Raiders head into the tournament with a 16-5 record and a 3rd Region All “A” title under their belt.
The All “A” State Tournament has been a goal for the team since the season started. Head coach Daniel Morris said the Lady Raiders have a list of goals posted in their locker room, and making it back to the tournament for a second year in a row is at the top of that list.
“They wanted to get to Eastern Kentucky,” he said. “They love the environment there, and I think it means a lot coming from a school with 85 kids, so that’s something that they get to strive towards through the year.”
Other goals on their list include having a 25+ win season and claiming the district title.
The road to the All “A” Tournament was filled with some impressive wins. Most notable of late, Trinity topped Owensboro Catholic (10-3) in the 3rd Region All “A” championship, earning revenge after losing a five-set battle to the Lady Aces earlier this season.
The success of the team this season stems from the bond that the players have with each other , Morris said.
“All eight of them in my rotation are all like sisters,” he said. “They see themselves as one big family and do everything together on and off the floor. I think the collaboration between all of them really helps.”
Since winning the All “A” region title, Trinity suffered a rare 3-2 (13-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 19-17) loss to Grayson County earlier in the week. The loss was a humbling moment ahead of the tournament, Morris said.
“Don’t take anything for granted no matter who’s on the other side of the net,” he said. “That’s one thing I’ve tried to drill into their heads this year is no matter who’s on the other side you’ve got to play your game or you’ll have something slipped out underneath of you.”
Their final game and last chance to prepare before the tournament was against Butler County on Thursday. The Lady Raiders won 3-0 (27-7, 25-11, 25-14).
The All “A” State Tournament will prove to be a test for the Lady Raiders. Heavy hitters St. Henry, Holy Cross — who beat Trinity in last year’s tournament — and reigning champions Paintsville could prove to be tough competitions deep into the bracket. However, Morris’ confidence in his team is at an all-time high.
“This year’s team is actually one of the best teams that I’ve coached in my 5 years of coaching here,” he said. “Honestly, we had a team in 2013 that made it to the final four, and I think this is a team that can do that or more.”
He said the main focus is getting back into the tournament intensity and mentality that they had from the All “A” region tournament.
“It’ll be more getting our groove back after our little high we had coming off of the win against Catholic,” he said. “It was good, but I think we’ve all got to settle back down into the mentality we need to play our games.”
The Lady Raiders have their first match in the All “A” State Tournament today against Kentucky Country Day at 6:45 p.m. at Eastern Kentucky University.
