The Trojans’ victory improved their record to 7-0 overall and 5-0 against league competition.

“So far it’s been pretty good,” Southwestern head coach Alexis Terrette stated. “We’re facing some tough teams next week; we’re excited for those. Thus far, the girls have been really consistent and I’m really proud of them.”

That consistency continued into Tuesday’s contest as the Trojans were dominant in the opening set. While Southwestern seemed to make few mistakes, the young Fredonia squad gave away a lot free points in the lopsided opening loss.

As the sets went on, Fredonia continued to improve and adjust to the competition. The second set was back and forth until Southwestern took an 8-6 lead. After that, Southwestern rattled off seven- and six-point runs on the way to the 25-12 victory.

Trojans’ Bella Sirianni sets the ball. P-J photo by Christian Storms

“It’s difficult sometimes,” Terrette said about staying locked in after a dominant victory. “We struggled a little bit there, especially in the third set. But it was nice to have new girls play different positions and get everyone in some spots they’re not used to playing.”

Fredonia’s best set was the third and final when it began to string together some runs of its own. Fredonia even led part way through at 12-11, but that did not last as Southwestern’s runs of six and five helped the Trojans cruise to the sweep.

“When the girls have the confidence and were volleying back and forth, they tend to really shine,” Fredonia head coach Amanda Krakowiak said about the Hillbillies improvement as the night went along. “That’s something they’re really strong with. Once we can get past that serve receive and get the back going back and forth, their defense and when they’re attacking the ball seems to be better.”

Southwestern’s dominant performance was led by Lauren Cotter with 12 kills, six aces and two blocks; Bella Sirianni had 10 assists and five aces; Jaidyn Newhouse had nine kills and two blocks; Arrington Restivo added 10 assists, two aces, two digs and two kills; and Siri Dubois had five aces and two digs.

Fredonia’s top performers were Elizabeth Morris with nine digs and an ace, and Miriam Labarr with three digs, two aces and two kills.

Southwestern’s Lauren Cotter hits a spike across the net during Tuesday’s CCAA Division 1 West match against Fredonia in West Ellicott. P-J photo by Christian Storms

With the loss, Fredonia is still in search of its first league victory and dropped to 0-5 and 1-5 overall. Despite the losses, Fredonia is seeing its young squad improve every game and its improvement was on display throughout the three matches against Southwestern.

“The girls have been working really hard in practice on mechanics and learning the game,” Krakowiak said about the Hillbillies’ improvement. “One of the things we’re starting to work on this year is strategy. They’re starting to master their skill, working on the pace of the game and the mental toughness with the games.”