COMSTOCK PARK – The Fruitport volleyball team got plenty of experience last week playing from behind, and it came in handy on Tuesday night at Comstock Park High School

The red-hot Trojans rallied from a first-set loss to beat Fremont in four sets in the Division 2 regional semifinals, continuing their surprising run through the state tournament.

They now advance to Thursday’s finals against Grand Rapids West Catholic.

The latest come-from-behind win came after the Trojans had to rally to beat Whitehall and Montague to win districts last week.

Fruitport’s Auebre Johnson goes up for a kill. Photo/Andrew Johnson

“It definitely plays into it,” said Fruitport head coach Nicole Bayle, whose Cinderella squad is now 16-25 on the season. “We know the playoffs will be a marathon. We’re going to have to battle no matter what. Even when you’re playing your best, which we didn’t do tonight, playoff time is just difficult. I think being able to win in five and win in tight sets has helped our confidence a ton.”

Fruitport junior Lauren Riedel agreed.

“It kind of helps us relieve the pressure that we have in the situation,” she said. “It just makes our energy more valuable.”

There were plenty of pressure situations on Tuesday and the Trojans responded when they needed to.

Auebre Johnson (4) and Hope Straley (7) block a Fremont shot. Photo/Andrew Johnson

The match started out rough for Fruitport when Fremont jumped out to an early 6-1 lead. Bayle called time out and rallied her troops, and they managed to tie the score 7-7 before the Packers wrestled away a 27-25 win.

The teams were tied 22-22 in the second set before Fruitport took the last three points and won 25-22.

In the third set, Fremont once again started strong, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before another Bayle time out. The Trojans again rallied, tying the score 6-6.

The set was eventually knotted at 18-18, the Trojans pulled ahead 22-18, Fremont rallied to within a point, then Fruitport won the last three points.

Lauren Riedel serves for Fruitport. Photo/Andrew Johnson

In the fourth set, Fruitport jumped out to leads of a 5-2, 10-5 and 22-18, Fremont pulled within a point again, then the Trojans ended the night by winning three of the last four points.

“We switched our back row a bit,” said Bayle about the adjustments that benefited her team in the final three sets. “We just had to get in our groove, too. Sometimes we just need to get through that first set.”

Sadie Haase led the Trojans with 19 kills while Gracelynn Olson totaled 36 assists. Riedel totaled 21 digs while Kayla Kolberg finished with 20.

“She played really good for us,” said Bayle about Riedel’s defensive performance. “Her service runs really kept us in the game, too. She defended all night and dug a ton of balls. She flowed in and had ice in her veins.”

Fruitport’s Raegan Dykstra (6) goes up for a block. Photo/Andrew Johnson

Fremont finished the season with a record of 35-14.

Fruitport will try to capture its first regional title since 2017 on Thursday.

“lt’s just really good,” Riedel said about the opportunity her team will have on Thursday. “To know we’ve come this far and managed to keep the energy going is really great.”