Malesky Gets First Triton Win as Volleyball Splits at South Suburban Invite

There were many positives to take out of Thomas Malesky's debut as Triton College head volleyball coach Aug. 24 at the South Suburban College Invitational in South Holland.

First, Malesky and the Trojans earned their first victory in impressive fashion in straight sets, 25-11, 25-9 and 25-6 over Olive-Harvey College. But most importantly, the team showed signs that this season could be the most competitive one at Triton in years. That's an impressive feat considering the group was compiled in just six weeks, following Malesky's hiring in June. Only two players returned from last year's team. 

The Trojans came out with plenty of enthusiasm versus Olive-Harvey. The team moved the ball well and showed strong communication as they dominated the match from start to finish. Georgia Becker (Proviso West) led the charge with 13 aces. Leah Rettke (Riverside-Brookfield) dished out 12 assists. Sydney Dorsey-Rencher (Bolingbrook) had seven kills and Sumeja Hodzic (Proviso East) had a pair of blocks.

Triton took the first set of their second match at the tournament against Highland Community College by a score of 25-22. However, the Trojans could not keep the winning run going but stayed competitive in dropping the next three sets 15-25, 20-25 and 20-25.

"We were aggressive at the net and our setters did a nice job," said Malesky. "We passed the ball well and combine that with aggressive attacking and your setter puts the ball where you want it to be, is a formula for success. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and today was a good start for us."

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