Girls Varsity Volleyball – 10/13/2009 Fruitport

Fruitport volleyball takes control of Lakes 8 race with win over rival Fremont

Scott Brandenburg | Muskegon Chronicle, October 14, 2009 12:57 a.m.

FREMONT — Fruitport kept control of the Lakes 8 Conference in another league showdown with Fremont.

The Packers made it interesting, though.

Ultimately, the host Trojans rose to the challenge behind the play of sophomore setter Lauren Hazekamp.

Hazekamp did a little bit of everything - especially in the deciding game - as No. 9 Fruitport held off the Packers 25-14, 24-26, 25-15, 25-15 in a battle of league unbeatens.

"Lauren's such a gamer," said Fruitport coach Nicole Bayle. "This was a big match for us - Fremont always comes ready to play when we face them - and Lauren came up huge for us."

Fruitport improves to 6-0 in the conference and Fremont drops to 5-1, with one game reamining the league tournament.

The Packers rallied to tie the match at a game apiece before Hazekamp and company got rolling in the third game.

"I thought we had some good plays offensively and defensively," said Fremont coach Tressa Wenk. "We had a tough time picking up (Hazekamp's) tips.

"I know we can play with them. Hopefully, things will turn out different the next time we play."

With Fruitport clinging to a 10-9 lead in the pivotal third game, Hazekamp served three straight points, including a pair of aces.

The Trojan setter served up two more aces and eight points in Game 4 and finished with 21 points and six aces.

Fruitport (28-10) refused to give up momentum after the midway point of the third game.

"I just think we came out with a lot of energy," said Hazekamp, who totaled 48 assists and eight digs. "It was a lot of adrenaline and determination. It always feels good (to win a conference match)."

The Trojans also benefitted from a balanced attack.

Senior outside hitter Ashley Hulbert led the way with 15 kills, but fellow senior Shelby Ray added 10 kills and junior middle hitter Samantha Geile had 13 kills.

"I thought our hitting was really on today," said Hulbert. "We started talking better too. When we're talking, we feel like we're pretty tough to beat."

The Trojan attack began with improved passing.

Sophomore Bre Geile, in her second week of playing libero after suffering an ankle injury, was steady in the back row with 15 digs. Hulbert added 10 digs.

"It all starts with our passing," said Bayle. "If we can't pass than we can't run our offense at all."

Fremont (21-12) played outstanding defense in the second game behind senior libero Kailey Hindes, who posted 15 digs.

Junior middle hitters Caroline Heitzman and Kaitlyn VanBoven formed an effective 1-2 hitting punch on the night for the Packers with 11 and eight kills, respectively.

The Packers service game, which helped them greatly in league wins over Spring Lake and Grant, wasn't as sharp against the Trojans, according to Wenk.

Fremont rallied from down 24-22 to steal the second game and the vocal Packer fans responded.

Hazekamp and the Trojans though made the late statement to keep control of the league.

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/4451809101505584924/fruitport-volleyball-takes-control-of-lakes-8-race-with-win-over-rival-fremont/
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