By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
On the heels of a rare Rock Valley Conference loss, East Troy girls volleyball coach Jeremy Weis took a look at what changes could be made.
The Trojans perfectly executed what their coach had in mind.
East Troy swept a pair of RVC matches, first at Whitewater Sept. 13 and again two nights later against visiting Jefferson to improve to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
“The girls really made some strides this week,” Weis said. “We have made a few changes in how we go about things and it has made a difference. It was nice to see the girls go out and compete hard this week.”
East Troy knocked off Jefferson 25-14, 25-19, 25-14, thanks in large part to aggressive serving, Weis said.
“(That) led to some easier balls coming back over the net,” he said. “I also thought Matison (Jakscht) passed the ball really well off serve receive. I think she was somewhere around a 2.6 on a 3.0 scale.”
Leaders for the Trojans in the win over the Eagles were Brianna Scuric (15 kills, 4 aces, 8 digs), Tori Miller (6 kills), Isabelle Martino (5 aces, 7 digs), Julian Friedrichs (3 aces), Jakscht (18 digs), Taylor Schmitt (10 digs) and Katie Zewiske (8 digs).
Weis was pleased to see so many girls hit the stat sheet, which he said was a direct reflection on an increased focus with passing and defense.
“We are asking the girls to be just a little bit better with our ball location and they are responding well,” Weis said. “I also felt that Izzy (Martino) is setting with much more confidence lately.
“She had some really tough choices to make early in the season, and she is working extremely hard to make great choices and put our hitters into great situations. She played well this week.”
The story was a similar one against Whitewater, a 25-14, 25-12, 25-21 East Troy victory two nights earlier.
Leaders included Scuric (13 kills, 9 digs), Miller (7 kills), Friedrichs (3 blocks), Jakscht (22 digs) and Schmitt (7 digs).
Scuric continues to put together solid efforts every night, Weis said.
“Offensively, she had a solid week,” he said. “She is someone that the team depends on night in and night out. She needs to continue to make strides offensively for us to compete down the stretch.”
East Troy was back in conference action Tuesday night at Edgerton and again Thursday against visiting Evansville.
The Trojans close out their week at the always competitive Sprawl Invitational Friday and Saturday at West Bend East, which always draws some of the state’s top teams.
But first on East Troy’s plate are the two RVC matchups this week, Weis said.
“Our goals are to win conference,” he said. “That has not changed, and it won’t in the near future.”
Once those two matches are behind them, the Trojans will turn their focus to the Sprawl and putting together another solid effort.
“Our goals in the Sprawl are to compete at a high level in every match and to finish higher than our seed,” Weis said. “I love the Sprawl and so do the girls. How can you not enjoy that atmosphere?
“The best teams in the state are there, and you want to see where you match up against them, so it is always a great place to play.”
