After a serve was bumped and set up to freshman Meredith Bethea, she killed it and recorded another point for the JV volleyball team. Meredith recorded the most kills on the team for the day, which helped FHC defeat Greenville.

Last Saturday, the Rangers faced off at Hudsonville against four different teams. Their first matchup was against an excellent Portage Central team. In the first set, the girls lost 25-21. In their second set, the girls bounced back and defeated them 25-22. However, they couldn’t find an edge in a fierce battle for the last set and fell 15-6. Overall, FHC went 2-1 against Portage Central.

Next up, the girls played Northview. To start it off, they weren’t able to win, losing 25-18. They completely dominated the Wildcats in the second set, though, and won 25-9. The girls played phenomenally on that set. However, once again, they were not able to stay consistent and fell 15-10 in the third set. Again, Meredith racked up a massive kill count as an outside hitter.

Against East Grand Rapids, the girls won a set but were not able to top the Pioneers and lost 2-1. This was the most competitive game for the girls. 

“Our middles were strong at the net and did well blocking,” head coach Kendra Zwart said. “They were pleased with their overall performances.” 

The Rangers also played against West Ottawa. Although FHC started to hit its groove by the time the West Ottawa match rolled around, the Panthers handily defeated the Rangers 2-0. They were by far the best team they played in that series.

Due to their tough loss to West Ottawa, the girls were not pleased with the way they played. They were very inconsistent and missed many serves, which hurt their scores and the way they played. 

On Thursday, the girls faced Greenville at home. They defeated the Yellow Jackets in two sets. The first set was close, 26-24, and in the second set, the Rangers maintained a dominant presence by defeating the Yellow Jackets 25-19.

“We struggled at the beginning of the set but adjusted well the second set,” coach Zwart admitted.

Sophomore Maggie Sneider, a pivotal member of the team, also thinks that there is still some work to do.

“Anna Thornburg was consistent in serving to receive passes, Angela Yang was also consistent with serves and defense,” Maggie said. “The team played well, but we definitely have some things to work on.

FHC’s next matchup will be on Saturday, 9:00 AM, at East Grand Rapids High School. A full slate of teams awaits the Rangers.