Trojans cool under pressure

Fri, Nov 6, 2009    to del.icio.us

MUSKEGON — Volleyball teams that survive in the postseason tournament are the squads that thrive when the pressure mounts.

Spring Lake dialed up the pressure against Fruitport during their Class B district championship match on Thursday at Orchard View High School, but the Trojans (42-11 overall) always had an answer.

Fruitport fought through an 18-18 tie in Game 1, a 24-24 tie in Game 2, and held off another late Lakers' charge in the finale to complete the sweep and advance to regional play next week. The Trojans will face the winner of the Alma district at Lakeview High School on Tuesday.

The 25-20, 26-24, 25-19 victory over their conference rivals gives the Trojans their sixth-straight district championship, and their third in a row under coach Nicole Bayle.

"All of these are awesome to me," Bayle said. "I told the girls, a lot of you are fortunate to never have lost in the districts. It's an honor to enjoy that success and be able to make it to regionals and beyond. You sometimes forget what an honor it is to move forward."

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It's a luxury that's avoided Spring Lake coach Sarah Bulthuis, whose squads have been eliminated by the Trojans in district action three seasons in a row. Spring Lake hasn't defeated Fruitport on the volleyball court since 2006. Thursday's loss was even more frustrating for Bulthuis because she felt the Lakers had an opportunity to steal a game or two away.

"We were right there with them throughout the match," she said. "We just had a couple missed opportunities and a couple bad passes that came back to hurt us."

The Trojans never trailed in Game 1, although their usually solid defense struggled at times early, and throughout the match. Two thundering kills from senior Kelsey Bekius drew the Lakers even at 18-apiece, forcing Bayle to burn her team's first timeout of the match.

Fruitport quickly responded by going on a 4-0 run, securing the opening win. Junior outside hitter Sam Geile said the Trojans' mental toughness is a strength this season.

"It's definitely a positive for us," she said. "On every one of our timeouts, coach always called us over and told us, 'Now is the time we really need to step it up. This could be the end of our season if we don't.'"

Powerful spikes from Geile and senior Ashley Hulbert, combined with surprising emergence of junior Beka German, gave Fruitport too many weapons for the Lakers to handle. Geile led Fruitport with 11 kills, while German and Hulbert added 10 apiece.

Another asset at the net for the Trojans is sophomore setter Lauren Hazekamp, whose quick tips — including a recently-learned no-look, over-the-head tip — kept the Lakers scrambling.

"I taught her that," Bayle said with a grin, saying she learned it herself during her playing career at Grand Valley State. "Lauren's a sneaky player like I was. She's got that ability to be able to draw a lot of blockers, which is so important for our other hitters. It really opens things up."

Game 2 had the match's most exciting finish, as the Lakers deadlocked the score at 18-apiece, then again at 21, 22, 23 and 24. Spring Lake had a chance to tie it again at 25, but the Lakers' front line didn't play aggressively enough on a free ball at the net, and the Trojans eventually turned it into a kill from Shelby Ray.

An ensuring hitting error from Spring Lake's Kaitlyn Mulder — which just missed the court by inches — gave Fruitport the two-point win.

"If it's an inch the other way, maybe it's a different result, and maybe we're still playing," Bulthuis said.

Fruitport then slammed the door in Game 3, jumping out to a 7-2 lead and never trailing. The Lakers drew as close as 22-18 on a kill from Evie Lorimer, but could draw no closer.

Hazekamp totaled 30 assists to spark the Trojans and also led the team with eight digs. Six-foot junior Rachel McCollum paced Fruitport with six blocks, while Amber Carmean came off the bench to lead with four aces.

Spring Lake (32-17-1) was led by Mulder's seven kills and five apiece from Bekius and Jackie Wruble. Bekius, a three-year starter, added 11 digs and five points for the Lakers. Senior setter Taylor Keyser finished with 23 assists.

Bayle hopes this is the first step in a repeat of last season, when the Trojans stunned many by reaching the Class B state finals.

"If we execute our game plan, anything's possible," she said. "That's what got us (to Battle Creek) last year.

"We have to play aggressive. We can win if we stay aggressive and continue serving tough."