ADA – Championship teams know how to apply a knockout punch before opponents have a chance to rally.

The Fruitport volleyball team claimed it’s third championship of the season on Thursday by doing exactly that.

The Trojans won the first two sets but stumbled in the third, opening the door for a good St. Johns team to rally in a Division 2 regional title match at Forest Hills Eastern High School.

During the break before the fourth set, Fruitport head coach Nicole Bayle did not mince words when she told her players to finish what they started.

“In that huddle, Bayle yelled at us,” said Fruitport senior standout Sadie Haase. “She said this is our team, this is our trophy, and we need to get it together and play as a team. We fell apart there and had to get it together.”

“We talked about being in control of our destiny,” Coach Bayle said. “It’s just us. They weren’t doing things to beat us. We looked like we were doubting ourselves a bit. I just reminded them that they’ve put in the work, and they needed to focus on us and not everyone else.”

The speech worked. The Trojans regained their mojo in the fourth set, jumping out to a 12-5 lead, winning 25-18 and clinching the match and their first regional championship since 2017.

Fruitport, now 36-11, advances to play in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday against Essexville-Garber at Fremont High School.

Thursday’s 3-1 victory replicated Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Forest Hills Eastern in the regional semifinals, when the Trojans also won the first two sets, lost the third, then nailed down the victory in the fourth.

Both wins showed how far they’ve come since the 2022 and 2023 seasons, when they struggled to a combined 30-52 record – or even since the beginning of this season, when they started out 0-3 and and looked nothing like a state contender.

Fruitport has now won conference, district and regional championships this season.

“It does,” said Coach Bayle, when asked if the latest trophy proves her team belongs in the statewide conversation. “We’ve been speaking it into existence, and today we proved we deserve to be here. We’re a team to beat and fear. I’m proud of the girls for that. We’re one of the final eight teams in Division 2!”

One reason the Trojans have improved so much is that more players are making big contributions.

Junior Ellie Stroup has become a big part of the offense in recent weeks, and that continued against St. Johns when she led the team with 15 kills.

Haase, the powerful middle hitter who usually leads in that category, had 10 kills while sophomore Izabel Hanson-Wilbur added nine.

Gracelynn Olson, the setter and quarterback of the offense, totaled 27 assists.

“It feels great,” Stroup said about having a big night. “It always feels good to just score and get that point with a kill.”

Bayle said the Trojans’ offense did not have its best night, but the made up for it by spreading the work around.

“Ellie stepped up big for us tonight,” the coach said about Stroup. “And Sadie does that every night. Our offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders, but they did a great job of making it work.

“We’ve talked all year about how this really is a team effort, and we showed that today. That’s a characteristic of a championship team, and we’re able to do that.”

The first set was tied 12-12 before a 6-0 run gave the Trojans an 18-12 lead. Fruitport ultimately maintained control and won 25-21.

St. Johns started the second set strong, dashing out to an early 5-1 lead. But the Trojans responded, tying the score at 12-12 then going on a 13-4 to grab a 25-16 win.

The Trojans looked ready to complete the sweep at the start of the third set, grabbing a 6-2 lead following kills by Haase and Stroup. But St. Johns narrowed the score to 14-11, then went on a 14-3 run to steal the victory with a 25-17 win.

Another St. Johns win would have forced a fifth-set tie-breaker, but Fruitport did not let that happen. They grabbed a quick 12-5 advantage in the fourth set and held it all the way to a match-clinching 25-18 victory.

A lot of Trojans had big nights defensively. Hanson-Wilbur led the way with 17 digs, followed by Stroup with 13, Tara Sweet with 12, Olson with 10 and Haase and Emma Fecher with nine apiece.

“It feels so good,” Haase said after the match while holding the regional trophy. “I’m so happy for everyone.”

“Sometimes it’s just not pretty, and today wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t matter, because we were able to power through and get a victory,” Bayle said. “We’re regional champions and that’s awesome.”