For the third time in three district matches, Plainwell found itself playing a Wolverine Conference rival when it squared off against Vicksburg in a Division 2 district final on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Unlike those previous two matches—the first against Three Rivers and the second against Otsego—the Trojans had prevailed in the regular-season showdown.
“I think we were pretty confident coming into this match,” said Plainwell coach Don Hyames, whose team was responsible for Vicksburg’s lone loss in the dual-meet portion of the league schedule. “We were coming off those two wins over Three Rivers and Otsego and we had the previous conference win over Vicksburg.”
Unfortunately for the Trojans, that confidence didn’t translate into a victory as Vicksburg started strong in the first set and pinned the 25-13, 27-25, 25-23 loss on Plainwell.
The Trojans finished the season at 17-30, with 14 of their matches against teams that finished the season ranked or listed as honorable mention in the state rankings.
“I think the difference in the match was that we just committed too many errors that either kept (Vicksburg) in the game or gave them momentum late in each set,” Hyames said.
The loss spelled the end of the prep volleyball careers for the teams six seniors: Alivia TerMeer, Kate Farho, Jade Davis, Maureen Belcher, Alex Gabala and Madison Rogers.
“The members of this senior group are all two-or-three-year varsity players who have been the core of the team for three years now,” Hyames said. “Their growth and experience has shown on the court and we will miss their competitive fire on game days.”
That competitive fire was on display in the second and third sets against Vicksburg.
After falling behind 20-7 in the first set, the Trojans fell behind by a 15-8 score in the second set. That’s when a run of seven consecutive points from Plainwell—including an ace from Gabala and a pair of kills from TerMeer—tied the score at 15-15.
The Trojans later appeared on the verge of evening the match at one set apiece as they had set point at 24-23. But they couldn’t come up with the point they needed and fell by the 27-25 score.
The third set was much the same, with Plainwell holding a late lead only to fall short.
“We came out very flat in the first set and were not able to get things going until very late in the set,” Hyames said. “I think that momentum carried over into the next sets, which were very competitive. We were ahead late in each of the last two sets and certainly had opportunities to win them, but just couldn’t finish them out.”
Vannessa Robinson and Gabala led Plainwell with six kills each. Robinson was also second in the team with 12 digs, putting her one behind Farho’s total of 13, while Gabala had a team-best three aces.
TerMeer and Morgan Hayward each contributed five kills, while Davis had 27 assists, five digs and three kills.
“I was really proud of how the girls bounced back after the first set and especially after the second set to give themselves a chance in the match,” Hyames aid. “They never quit.”
And while Hyames will miss the senior group, he knows the cupboard is far from bare moving forward.
“We have seven underclassmen, five of which were heavy contributors during the year,” he said. “So, we still have a solid nucleus to build around. The returning players are hard workers with great upside.”
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