The Trojan volleyball team can sum up their 2009 season in two words: bad breaks.

They certainly have their share of bad breaks this year, entering the Pierce College Crossover Tournament Oct. 16 0-21 after a 3-0 loss at home to Wenatchee Valley College.

Wenatchee Valley boasts a young team that includes only two sophomores, and easily handled the Trojans (25-11, 25-18, 25-17). The first game started out rough for Everett, as Wenatchee built an early lead they wouldn't surrender.

Trailing the first game early with a score of 10-3, Everett called for time to regroup, but the Knights from Wenatchee Valley were seemingly in all the right places at all the right times. The Knights benefited from the strength of their squad and the numerous blocks that stalled Everett rallies, and went on to win the game 25-11.

Everett played much better in the second game, even holding a lead midway through, but the lead would not hold up as Wenatchee used precision placement to catch the Trojans out of place and build a lead of their own. Everett benefited from a late rally to tighten the score, but came up short, losing 25-18.

The crowd of around 100 people cheered loudly as the Trojans came out in the third game on fire, but were unable to hold off the Knights, as a series of miscues and mental mistakes wore the Trojans down as they dropped the third game 25-17.

The Trojans improved on each game and finished strong. Unfortunately, the Knights had built sufficient leads before the Trojans began their late charges. "They need to come with the intensity they end with," said Head Coach Sue Snow. "They wait too long before they start playing."

With the pressures of a winless season, the frustration continued to mount as the Trojans sought their first win of the year. The Trojans were often out of place and had to lay out for every ball, sacrificing their bodies in a search for that elusive first win. However, the players were able to hide their frustrations well, as there were more smiles than frowns from a team that refused to give in.

Coach Snow praised the Trojans for their hard work at practice, but hoped the players could bring the same intensity to the games. "They don't bring practice into the game," Snow said.

Freshman Kaori Inoue agrees with her coach. "We didn't do like [we did in] practice," she said.

Sophomore Kristi Clayton knows a victory is within their reach. "We've got to want it all game long and talk to each other. We're improving," she said.

Clayton was named to the Linn Benton Crossover Tournament All-Tournament team in September for her play in a pair of Trojan losses in Albany, Oregon.

"We weren't playing at our level," Clayton said.

Everett was finally able to get that first win against Olympic College just two days later in the Pierce Crossover Tournament. Olympic, with just two wins of their own, and Everett rank in the bottom two of every statistical category in the NWAACC North.

Freshman Breanna Toler was named to the Pierce Crossover Tournament All-Tournament Team for her play for Everett. The win was the first for the Trojans since Oct. 22, 2008 that snapped a 25-game losing streak.

"Now that we know we can do it, we just wanna win as much as possible," Setter Ashley Hagood said. "We have the confidence to keep winning."

Since Everett beat Olympic in a tournament, it doesn't count in their overall league standings.

This means the Trojans will still be looking to get their first league win of the season with six chances left to go.