Trojan volleyball dynasty comes to an end

All good things must come to an end.

Oakley junior Adelyn Maseda connected on a strike that Troy could not handle and when the ball hit the ground the Troy volleyball dynasty was over, at least for now.

The Troy Trojans had won three consecutive Class 2A (formerly known as 1A DI) Idaho state championships, but were unable to extend the reign another year.

Troy (27-2) lost both matches it participated in on Saturday to finish in third place at Jerome High School.

The Trojans lost to Butte County first — 25-23, 25-19, 22-25, 25-15 — to snap a 14-match state tournament winning streak. It was also the first loss for Troy in a best-of-five set match since Oct. 7, 2023, to Colfax.

In the next match, it was Oakley — a team Troy swept on Friday — that closed the book on the Trojans’ season with a 25-15, 25-19, 25-18 win.

“I feel like our whole season we worked so hard,” Troy coach Deborah Blazzard said Saturday by cellphone. “Just to get to the state tournament, and just to get a trophy is such a blessing.”

In 1A action, Genesee had bounced back from an opening-round loss to win two straight matches to reach the consolation final. The Bulldogs were eliminated in a 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 25-17 match to Rockland to finish fourth at Canyon Ridge High in Twin Falls.

Historic run

The Trojans have dominated the 2A/1A DI level of volleyball in the state of Idaho for the last decade. They came into the 2024 season winners of six of the last eight state titles.

In this latest run of three in a row, Blazzard and the Trojans had dropped just six sets in 12 tournament matches.

The last time Troy did not win a state title was 2020 when the world was still in the middle of the COVID crisis and the 1A DI tournament was changed from double-elimination to a standard bracket.

In that tournament, Troy swept past Lighthouse Christian in the first round before running into Grace. The Grizzlies scratched out three set victories surrounded by a lone 25-6 Trojan set win.

Any other year Troy would have had an opportunity to respond. Instead, the team was put into the third-place match where it swept Oakley ... yes, the same Oakley school that eliminated the Trojans this season.

The 2020 season was the only blemish for Troy in a stretch where the team won five straight state tournaments when the format was double elimination (the Trojans did not suffer a defeat in any of the five state title wins).

Tournament of firsts

The 2024 tournament already had a strange feeling to it for the Trojans. The three-time defending state champions were pushed to five sets against Genesis Prep of Post Falls. It was the first time the Trojans were pushed that far in an opening-round contest since a first-round loss to Butte County in 2012.

“Overall, I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Blazzard said. “I think the girls performed to the best of their ability. Even when they were so tired, they kept trying.”

Butte County went on to win the 2024 edition of the 2A tournament, its first state tournament title at that level. The Pirates won a then-2A (now 3A) state title back in 1996.

As for the Trojans’ other foe on Saturday, Oakley and Troy are no strangers to each other when it comes to the final tournament of the season. The two teams have met six times in the last five state tournaments, twice this season. Troy had won the first five without dropping a single set.

Since the former 1A level was split into two divisions in 2008 (now known as 2A and 1A), Oakley had never finished higher than fourth place before it took the runner-up spot on Saturday.

Final match of the run

Troy could not find its footing throughout the match. The latest the Trojans led in any set was 10-9 in the second set.

Sophomore Tessa Stoner led Troy with nine kills. Senior Nicole Hunter had 10 digs and senior Teagan Gale had four kills and an ace in the match.

Oakley was too strong at the net, especially sophomore Natalie Hardy, who got a hand on several attacks and did not give away any easy points.

The long trip down south, playing over three days instead of two for the first time and trying to bounce back from the first best-of-five set match of the season was just too much for Troy.

“I don’t think it was the pressure,” Blazzard said. “Personally, I need to do a better job of preparing the girls for a 10-hour trip and late nights and early mornings.”

Genesee’s run ends on Day 3

The Genesee Bulldogs (25-6) saw their three-day state tournament run come to an end in their four-set loss to Rockland.

Genesee coach Pete Crowley said the Bulldogs faced a tough turnaround with their Friday night match finishing around 9:30 p.m. and their Saturday match beginning at 8 a.m.

Makayla Herman tallied 22 kills and Chloe Grieser added 22 digs as the Bulldogs served 80 out of 82 as a team.

Following Idaho’s prep sports reclassification, Genesee dropped down to the 1A level (formerly 1A DII).

Crowley said that the Bulldogs faced some easier competition in making the switch to 1A, but still played many of the 2A teams that they previously competed against and held their own.

However, the state tournament presented a new level of competition.

“I felt like the top five teams at state were every bit as tough as we’ve ever seen,” Crowley said. “I was very impressed with the level of play down here; there were some very solid players on some very well-coached teams.”

The Bulldogs went undefeated in their league and won the district championship this season. They were led by a dedicated group of senior leaders, including Herman, Kendra Meyer and Monica Seubert.

After a particularly tough performance versus Orofino earlier this season, Crowley said he challenged his team to serve better. The Bulldogs, led by their senior leaders, did just that, and from that point forward served 94% for the rest of the year.

“We’ll miss them tremendously,” Crowley said of his seniors. “They’ve just been wonderful, they’re the definition of Genesee Bulldogs.”

Isbelle can be reached at 208-848-2268, risbelle@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyIsbelle.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.