FHC Volleyball pulls off a massive upset, winning 3-2, against EGR in the first round of Districts

Mady Scarlato, Editor-in-Chief • November 5, 2024

Last night, the Ranger Volleyball team took on cross-town rivals East Grand Rapids in the first round of Districts. Considering that FHC lost to EGR previously in the season, there was little expectation that the Rangers would win. However, FHC pulled a stunner and beat EGR 3-2 in sets.

In the 1st set, FHC came out strong and stuck with the power of EGR. This caused there to be many back-and-forth rallies between the Rangers and Pioneers. Toward the end of the 1st set, FHC struggled with execution and therefore lost 25-21

In the next set, the Rangers came out hot with good serving, leaving behind their woes from the 1st set. They had some excellent passing and managed to find the holes in the Pioneers’ defense and exploit them. FHC came out on top, 25-19, to tie up the game.

The Rangers seemed to continue their drive in the 3rd set. They managed to work together as a team, arguably the best they had played all season, and it showed as they managed to exploit EGR once again. FHC took a 2-1 lead heading into the 4th set, with a chance to close out the game with a win.

In the 4th set, the Rangers repeated the same style of gameplay from the 1st set. They started out riding even with the Pioneers, but sooner or later, they found themselves stuck in a hole. EGR trapped FHC in a rotation with one of their better servers, and the Rangers lost 25-15, evening the score 2-2.

On the verge of pulling off the upset, the Rangers knew what they needed to do to close out the game. The set started out with 2 incredible aces by Jenna Stibitz, which set the tone for the rest of the set. Then, the push started to be the first to 15 points. The Rangers kept pushing regardless of getting scored on, and this eventually gave them the victory.

No one could have expected FHC to upset EGR, except perhaps FHC itself, but it certainly proved to be their best win. Not only was it an important victory, but it was also their best game together as a team. FHC has their next game on Wednesday against Lowell at EGR. The sky is the limit for the Rangers.

About the Contributor

Mady Scarlato, Editor-in-Chief

Mady is a junior entering her second year on the FHC Sports Reports staff and first year as Editor-in-Chief. She's a part of the swim and water polo teams here at FHC. When she's not writing, some of her favorite things to do are watching movies, spending time with friends, and listening to music (specifically Taylor Swift). A fun fact about her is when she was 11 she had spine surgery. Mady is very passionate about all sports and loves to learn the stats behind them. She could tell you almost anything you need to know about any sport. Mady is also very passionate about Michigan Football and the Detroit Lions. Favorite Artist: Taylor Swift Favorite Teams: Michigan Wolverines, Detroit Lions Favorite Books: It Ends With Us, The Hunger Games Series, Divergent Series Favorite Movies: Twisters, The Hunger Games, Twilight Series