The Bondurant-Farrar tournament was the last of the new schedule additions for Atlantic volleyball in the 2019 season. Round-robin play resulted in a busy day of six matches.

In the first match of the day, Atlantic took on Dallas Center-Grimes. The opposition was 10-2 coming into the tournament. They also were ranked #10 in class 4A. Atlantic played a strong defense, were uprooted in a straight-set loss, 21-13, 21-14. Against Dallas Center-Grimes, Atlantic had 30 digs and 11 kills. Senior Kenzie Waters led her team in digs with 12, and junior Alyssa Derby had four kills.

Following the loss to Dallas Center-Grimes, the Trojan squad played Nevada. The two teams faced off earlier in the season–when the competitors were unranked by the IGHSAU–and Nevada took the W in straight sets, 21-8, 21-16. Now, Nevada is ranked #15 in class 3A. The Trojans’ two-set loss was repeated, as Nevada went 2-0 against Atlantic, 21-11, 21-6. The team had 16 digs in the match with Nevada.

Atlantic challenged Cedar Rapids Kennedy, who were 7-9 at the beginning of the day. Strong serving from both teams–only one serve was missed the whole match–resulted in no free points given. In the first set, the two teams hung neck and neck. Cedar Rapids Kennedy got the upper hand, 21-16 at the end of the first. Atlantic’s signature tough defense was matched in the competition. Cedar Rapids Kennedy nabbed the second set, 21-7. In the straight set loss, Atlantic had three blocks and 13 kills. 

The Trojans played the host team next. Bondurant-Farrar’s record stood at .500 at the start of the tournament. Once again, Atlantic had a strong showing in the first set, where they hung close, 21-16. The team couldn’t keep their foot on the gas in the second set, and put up a single-digit of a score, resulting in another straight-set loss. Though Bondurant-Farrar outhit Atlantic, the girls kept the ball off the floor 27 times. Junior Mia Trotter–who plays libero–led her team with nine digs.

Next, Atlantic competed against Pella Christian, who were 7-7. The Trojans snagged the first set with an improved offense, 21-14. This was the first set won by Atlantic on the day. Service errors plagued the Trojans in the second set, where they came up short, 21-13. With the score tied at 1-1, Atlantic dug in deep in search of a win. The two teams battled back and forth, and the final set went into extra points. Pella Christian would outlast the Trojans, 19-17 to cop the dub. In the nail-biter of a match, the Atlantic crew had 43 digs, 21 assists, and four blocks. 

In the final match of the day, Winterset was the opponent. Previously in the season, the Trojans were beaten by the Huskies in a close, three-set match. Looking to rebound against Winterset, and get a win at the tournament, the Trojans took the court. The Trojan defense combated the Husky offense, making many rallies exciting. However, Atlantic dropped the final match of the day by the narrow score of 21-19, 21-17. The girls slated 35 digs on the stat sheet. 

Through six matches, the Atlantic squad had 70 kills and 155 digs. 

Next up for Trojan volleyball is a conference clash with St. Albert on Thursday in Council Bluffs.