There was a time, not long ago, when the Reeths-Puffer volleyball coaches were a bit concerned about the coming season after losing eight seniors to graduation.
They are a lot less worried now, after the first tournament of the season. The Rockets posted a very respectable 3–3 record against a strong field of opponents at the Coopersville Invitational on Friday, and several younger players had very big roles.
R-P defeated Coopersville 25-19, 25-17; Oakridge 25-14, 25-4 and Ludington in a tight match, 25-23, 25-22.
Lexi Danz
The Rockets lost to Fruitport 26-24, 25-20 and a good Otsego squad twice, 25-15, 25-15 and 25-15, 25-16.
R-P head coach Justin Birr was particularly pleased with the victory over Ludington, which came right on the heels of a grueling loss to Otsego.
“The girls fought through the fatigue and beat a talented Ludington team,” Birr said. “There were many similar moments the past two seasons where we would keep it close, then lose a tight match. It was good to see these girls persevere and come out on top. This was a statement win to start our season.”
Freshman Lexie Danz led the R-P attack with 20 kills and was also tops in serving with eight aces.
Annabelle Darke
Junior Annabelle Darke had 18 kills and senior Abby Machinski had 12.
Freshman Kate Tindall set up the offense with 81 assists and also served five aces.
Defensively, senior Carlee Bowen piled up 63 digs, Tindall added 39 and Darke had 32.
The Rockets played well without one of their main offensive players, sophomore Peyton Radel, who was out with a minor injury.
Carlee Bowen
Birr was quite pleased with his young team.
“The Coopersville Invitational is always a competitive event, and this year was no different,” he said. “The difference is we showed we can beat a few good teams and we showed our compete level all day. I am excited to get to work in practice on Monday and continue improving as a team.”
The Rockets will return to action on Wednesday when they host a four-team event.