Girls varsity volleyball falls to Hudsonville in close match

WHAT HAPPENED:

The girls varsity volleyball team lost to Hudsonville in four sets on Thursday, October 3. They started strong in the first set winning 25-17. But, were unable to pull through. They dropped the next three sets 23-25, 21-25 and 16-25.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN:

Grand Haven’s loss changes their record to 2-1 in conference and 33-6 overall. The Bucs remain second in the O-K Red conference behind Hudsonville.  

KEY PLAYERS:

  • Senior Ashley Slater was dominant on the court. She led the offense with 22 kills. She also had three blocks. Slater has become a key component to the Bucs’ offense.
  • Senior Reilly Swierbut was a major defensive presence with a total of 16 digs. She also had four aces.

THEY SAID IT:

“To be honest, I think we came out really strong in that first set and that showed on the scoreboard,” Slater said. “I think this game, especially those first two sets, showed a glimpse into how we can play as a team and the team we can be. We can beat top teams in the state, we just have to be able to carry that energy and that intensity throughout the whole match.”

“I think that we just made mental lapses throughout the rest of the match,” Swierbut said. “And that’s what made us unable to put the score that we wanted on the scoreboard. The seasons still really early. So we have a lot of improving to do. We’re going to make those improvements. And we’re going to come back, play them again and fight even harder.”

“I think a difference we saw tonight, that we haven’t seen as much in the past, is we were really there for each other,” junior Ashlyn Pahl said. “If someone had a mistake, they could turn to someone else on the court, and they were there to support them.”

WHAT’S NEXT:

Grand Haven looks forward to their first home conference game against Caledonia at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 10.