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.