The Fruitport volleyball team was one set away from winning a city championship on Saturday, after taking an early two-set lead over powerful Mona Shores in the tournament finals.
Then the Sailors fought back, beating the Trojans in the final three sets and stealing the victory and the title at the GMAA City Tournament at Reeths-Puffer High School.
Fruitport won the first two sets 25-15 and 25-20, then lost the next three by scores of 11-25, 23-25, 12-15.
[1]While losing the big lead was tough for the Trojans, head coach Nicole Bayle is looking at it another way. Back in August, Fruitport was pounded by Mona Shores in straight sets, so using that as a measuring stick, Saturday’s rematch was a sign of huge progress for the team.
“It was great to see the improvement that we have made through the season,” said Bayle, whose team is now 24-11 on the season. ”It’s easy to see with Shores because we go to camp with them in the summer, and in August they just dominated us. Today, it was a closely-matched battle.
“We may have come up short in the end, but the resilience and grit we displayed speaks louder than any win. Every set was a testament to the hard work and passion this team brings. Sometimes victory isn’t measured by the scoreboard, but by the strength and unity we should against adversity. We proved we’re a team that never backs down.”
[2]
[3]
Fruitport started the day with victories over Whitehall (25-12, 25-16) and Western Michigan Christian (25-21, 23-25, 15-5) to reach the finals.
Sadie Haase paced the Trojans, as usual, pounding 40 kills on the day, but Fruitport also had other players on the attack. Izzy Hanson-Wilbur added 22 kills, Ellie Stroup had 19 and Gracelynn Olson had 10.
Haase was also on fire from the service line, dishing out 13 aces.
Defensively, Emma Fecher led a team effort with 32 digs, Hanson-Wilbur had 30, Olson added 23 and Stroup had 21.
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]