Grand Rapids Christian wins stacked Portage Central Invitational
Not bad for a Division 2 team. The Grand Rapids Christian volleyball team proved that its one of the best team in the state, regardless of Division, when it came away with the Portage Central Volleyball Invitational championship on Saturday.…
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Continue ReadingNot bad for a Division 2 team.
The Grand Rapids Christian volleyball team proved that its one of the best team in the state, regardless of Division, when it came away with the Portage Central Volleyball Invitational championship on Saturday.
The 12-team tournament featured five teams ranked in our top 20 in Division 1, including two in the top five. Humid temps inside the facility made for a challenging day of volleyball for all involved.
The Eagles had a tournament run that included a sweep of No. 17 Gull Lake, a three-set win over No. 3 Rockford and a sweep of No. 4 Lake Orion to claim the title.
“I literally felt every emotion you could (Saturday), but it was nice to finish on a proud emotion,” Grand Rapids Christian coach Tiffannie Gates said. “I am really proud that the girls fought through a tough day and the urge to give up when things weren’t going their way on a really hot and muggy day. They didn’t let themselves quit and that was really encouraging to see.”
The Eagles had their hands full with Gull Lake in the quarterfinals, as both sets were 25-23 and found GRC trailing late in each set.
In the semifinals, Rockford played stellar volleyball in the opening set for a 25-17 victory. From there, the Eagles found their groove and took the next two sets, 25-19, 15-12.
“When the girls are playing loose and having fun, they are almost unstoppable,” Gates said. “When we play tight, we don’t play very well. You can say that for almost any team but it really showed with us (Saturday). We were at our best when we were having some laughs and just supporting one another.”
The Eagles had reasons to be loose as nobody was able to match their presence at the net. Grand Rapids Christian brings senior Maria Bos and sophomore Addie VanderWeide on the outside while mixing in senior Olivia Nedd, junior Ayva Kooistra and freshman Evelyn Doezma in the middle. Doezma, a 6-3 freshman, showed flashes of why she will be a handful for years to come.
It was the Eagles’ hitting that overpowered Lake Orion in the final. The Dragons were without OPP Sydney Smith in the final after suffering an ankle injury in a semifinal win over Portage Central. Paige Briggs (Western Kentucky) still made a lot of plays for Lake Orion, but Grand Rapids Christian was able to defend well and mix up their attacks thanks to the setting of Jordyn Gates (Arkansas).
The Eagles controlled the entire first set on the way to a 25-16 win. The second set was competitive, going to 20-20 before the Eagles pulled away late for the 25-21 victory.
A Class A quarterfinalist in 2017, Grand Rapids Christian moves to Division 2 with the new division format in 2018. The Eagles are currently No. 1 in our D2 rankings with traditional Class B powers, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and North Branch right behind.
“There is a lot of work ahead for us. There are a lot of areas that we can still get better in,” Gates said. “I think this tournament can be a real turning point for us.”
2018 Portage Central Invitational
Quarterfinals
Lake Orion def. East Grand Rapids – 25-18, 25-10
Portage Central def. DeWitt – 34-32, 25-23
Rockford def. Schoolcraft – 25-20, 25-17
Grand Rapids Christian def. Gull Lake – 25-23, 25-23
Semifinals
Lake Orion def. Portage Central – 25-17, 25-22
Grand Rapids Christian def. Rockford – 17-25, 25-19, 15-12
Final
Grand Rapids Christian def. Lake Orion – 25-16, 25-21