By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Hamilton 0 Catholic Central 2
Hamilton 2 Cedar Springs 0
Hamilton 2 NorthPointe C 0
Hamilton 2 Petoskey 0
A slow start gave way to a strong finish for Hamilton at the Cedar Springs Mini Invitational on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
After dropping a 2-0 decision to Catholic Central, the Hawkeyes bounced back to beat Cedar Springs (25-20, 25-16), NorthPointe Christian (25-20, 25-20) and Petoskey (25-15, 25-14).
“We had long night of competition,” first-year Hamilton coach Courtney Cronkright said. “The girls played very well overall. We are continuing to work on our pace of play and the team is working very well together early on in this season.”
Brooke Petroelje had 45 total assists for the evening. Kenzie Glupker led Hamilton in kills in three of the four matches, while Sophie Blauwkamp was among the team leaders in digs.
Allegan 0 Hackett 3
Hackett Catholic proved to be a little too strong for Allegan when the teams met on Wednesday, Aug. 27, as the Tigers fell 25-19, 25-12, 25-15.
“We played a hard-fought match,” first-year Allegan coach Mandy Matthews said. “The girls showed their trademark scrappy defense, keeping rallies alive and pressuring with strong serving throughout the night.
“Although several long rallies and well-executed plays didn’t swing in our favor, the team’s effort and resilience stood out.”
Matthews was particularly impressed with a block by Maria Perez on Hackett’s top hitter.
Addy Fales finished with 19 assists for Allegan, while Camdyn Drozd had three kills and two aces.
Fennville 1 Schoolcraft 3
A strong performance from Lily Achterhof wasn’t enough to prevent Fennville from suffering the 25-21, 25-14, 19-25, 25-22 loss to Schoolcraft on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Achterhof finished with team highs of 14 kills and 12 digs in the loss. She also served up three aces, with tied MacKenzie McIlwain for second on the team behind Marynn Winne’s six.
Winne added eight kills and nine digs, while McIlwain had 11 digs and 31 assists.
Martin 3 Tri-Unity 1
Serving played a big role in Martin claiming a 25-15, 25-16, 19-25, 25-15 win over Tri-Unity Christian on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
“Our serving was great, as we only missed a handful of serves the whole match as a team,” first-year coach Shannon Goddard said.
Torryn Harris and Mackenzie Schwartz led the serving charge, with each having a perfect day in that department.
Harris also led the Clippers with 22 assists, while Schwartz had a team-best eight kills. Maggie and Anna Jager added six kills each.
Kendra Goddard paced Martin with 17 digs.
“We played really well the first two sets, then let off the gas a little too much in the third but finished it in the fourth,” Shannon Goddard said. “It’s so important for us to have a balanced attack. If someone is having an off day, we have lots of other options.”
Saugatuck 0 Buchanan 2
Saugatuck 1 Cassopolis 2
Saugatuck 0 Centreville 2
Taking part in the Buchanan Quad on Wednesday, Aug. 27, the Saugatuck volleyball team engaged in a three-set battle with Cassopolis.
After dropping the first set 27-25, the Trailblazers regrouped to take the second set 26-24 and force a decisive third set.
But it was Cassopolis that ultimately prevailed, taking set three 25-20.
In its other matches, Saugatuck fell to Buchanan (25-9, 25-9) and Centreville (25-13, 25-19).
Natalia Laskowski paced the Trailblazers with 29 assists and eight kills, while Gabbie Cochran added 19 assists to go with a team-best six aces. Emma Gosler chipped in with six kills and four blocks.
Fennville 2 Marcellus 0
Fennville 0 Climax-Scotts 2
Fennville 2 Howardsville 0
On Monday, Aug. 25, Fennville traveled to Marcellus for a non-conference quad and came away with a 2-1 record.
The Blackhawks beat Marcellus (25-11, 25-13) and Howardsville Christian (25-17, 25-13) with a loss to Climax-Scotts (25-16, 25-10) sandwiched in between.
MacKenzie McIlwain played well for Fennville, leading the team with 20 assists and nine aces. She was second with 15 digs. Lily Achterhof had 16 digs, nine kills and three aces.
Ceeley Howard (seven aces, five digs and four kills) and Marynn Winne (eight digs, six aces and three kills) also contributed.
