Volleyball roundup: Grand Haven spikers sweep away Hudsonville

Fri, Oct 10, 2008    to del.icio.us

Grand Haven volleyball coach Aaron Smaka said his team continues to show steady improvement on the court, and at this point of the season, there's no better time.

The Bucs (21-13-2, 4-1 O-K Red) shined in a three-game sweep of O-K Red Conference foe Hudsonville Thursday, topping the Eagles 25-21, 25-13, 25-15.

"I'm very happy with the way we performed," Smaka said. "We passed very well. Individually, we had a lot of girls step up, which is great to see."

The Bucs' most consistent performers, junior Mindy Marx and senior Stacy Kalsbeek, both had great matches. The 6-foot-1 Marx had 10 kills and five blocks, while setter/outside hitter Kalsbeek had eight kills, two blocks, nine service points, two aces and 13 assists.

"We've been asking Stacy to be more aggressive offensively, and she did that (Thursday)," Smaka said.

The Bucs also received the boost from junior defensive specialist Mallory Smith, who came off the bench and turned in one of her best showings of the season. She served extremely tough with six aces and 11 points and also tallied six digs.

"She had an opportunity and she made the most of it," Smaka said.

Robyn Power had 11 digs for the Bucs, Bri Soule added four kills and four blocks, Lauren Stolarz tallied three kills and seven assists, and Andrea Norman ripped off four kills.

The Bucs hope to keep rolling Saturday, as they play in the East Kentwood Elite Tournament.

JUNIOR VARSITY: Grand Haven overpowered Hudsonville Thursday, 25-23, 25-17. Alexa Weisgerberg played well for the Bucs (27-4) with four points, 15 assists and 13 digs. Lindsey Burnside led the team with six kills and five blocks.

FRESHMEN: Grand Haven lost to Hudsonville Thursday, 25-10, 25-20.

FRUITPORT SPLITS

The Trojans split a pair of matches against two top-notch teams Thursday at Fruitport, defeating Mattawan, 25-21, 25-21, but falling to Grand Rapids South Christian, 29-27, 16-25, 13-15. Mattawan entered the tri-meet ranked No. 6 in Class A, while South Christian was an honorable mention pick in Class B.

The Trojans, who are ranked No. 3 in Class B, are now 26-9 overall.

Senior Naomi Bush had a big night with 23 kills, six digs, 20 service points and six aces.

Tiffany Brufladt also reached double-digit kills with 11 and totaled two blocks. Charlene Stolarz led the way with 17 digs, and Lauren Hazekamp totaled 40 assists.