The 2019 season has been a frustrating one for third-year coach Cayla Kapelke and her Thornton Trojans as they search for that first win in 14 contests. A mixture of injuries, youth and mistakes derailed the Lady Trojans once more, Oct. 1, on the road against Gateway in a 3-0 defeat.

"Our team is a complete mental team so one error sometimes can throw us into a loop," Kapelke said after the game. "It's extremely frustrating when we don't have anyone being aggressive on the court and wanting to take the initiative to get that ball."

The opening set was the lone set in which the Thornton found themselves in double-digits. Leading 14-7, the Lady Olympians then made their torrid run. Thanks to eight unanswered points to put the frame away, Gateway set the tone with the 25-11 win.

In set No. 2, the Lady Olympians never trailed. Jumping to a 9-1 lead, continued mental errors and lack of aggression put Thornton in a hole they couldn't climb out of. Falling 25-8, one positive came from freshman transfer Jazzy Davis — who made her presence known throughout.

"She is extremely athletic, always a go-getter," Kapelke said of Davis. "She's like a Tasmanian Devil all over the place and is like that all of the time."

Trying to keep the game going — despite the 2-0 deficit — the Lady Trojans fought in the final set. Taking the lead twice and tying three times early on, the positives didn't outweigh the negatives towards the end as Gateway outscored Thornton 21-6 to end the match, 25-9.

Mental errors continue to haunt Thornton through the winless start to the season and fixing these mistakes is the key to capturing that first W of the year.

Kapelke anticipates that mindset will change against rival, Northglenn, in their next match Oct 3, but it wasn't to be. The Lady Trojans fell in three sets against the Norse.