Women of Troy prepare for mountain trip


This weekend, the Women of Troy travel to the Rockies to play both Colorado and Utah. The team has been keeping morale high during practice, despite two hard losses last week against then No. 9 UCLA and No. 7 Washington. During the Washington game, both junior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie and junior outside hitter Niki Withers put up the majority of the kills. The No. 23 Trojans had to modify their game, since senior libero Taylor Whittingham was unable to play. However, head coach Mick Haley is not too worried about the team, as he believes that they are continuously improving.

“Morale has been pretty good,” Haley said. “We kind of understand what we need to improve on. We know the season is one of those things where we need to get better.” 

Since the team is so young, the girls have been making it their top priority to work on communication. Whether it is between the setters and the hitters to find just the right setup for a good kill, or simply deciding in the moment whose ball it is, communication is essential. Haley likes to play within his system, but it is very difficult for that system to be successful if the girls are not talking to each other. Improved communication will also help with their serve receive, something the team has been working to sharpen all season.

“If we could try to control the rhythm of our system a little bit better, the communication will help us with that,” Haley said.

This Friday, the Trojans, who are 8-5 this season, play No. 20 Colorado. Since the team has been preparing for both Colorado and Utah, they have been working on Colorado one day, and Utah the next. Thursday, when they travel out to Colorado, they will shift their focus to the Buffaloes. Haley said that the game against Colorado could go either way because of how competitive the two teams are.

“We always play a lot of sets out there, we always seem to get in a five set match with those guys,” Haley said. “You never know what is going to happen, but it is always a spirited battle and, certainly, there will be nothing easy in that match.”

The team will also play the No. 25 Utes this weekend, who have an 11-2 record. Haley said that the Trojans are starting to have better fluidity during practice that hasn’t shown on the court yet. This week the team has been working hard, and Haley believes this will translate into more success on the court.

“The way we’re working at this and the attitude of all the players makes me think we can’t help but get better,” Haley said.

Friday’s game against the Buffs will be televised on Pac-12 Networks at 7 p.m. PST. For Saturday’s 6 p.m. tilt against the Utes, the game can be watched via live stream through Pac12.com.