GRAND RAPIDS – The Fruitport volleyball team has been on an extended three-year victory run through districts.
That continued on Wednesday when the Trojans held off upset-minded Kenowa Hills in the semifinal round of the Division 2 district tournament at Grand Rapids Covenant Christian.
There was some curiosity surrounding the matchup, because Kenowa Hills upset Spring Lake – one of the few teams to beat Fruitport this year – in a first-round match on Monday.
But the Knights could not repeat the feat against Fruitport, which won by scores of 25-16, 25-23, 26-24.
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Fruitport, which has now won its last five district tournament matches dating back to 2024, moves on to Thursday’s championship match against Allendale at 6 p.m. at Covenant Christian.
The Trojans, now 32-8-2, will be trying to win their third straight district title, and senior standout Izzy Hanson-Wilbur is excited about the opportunity to make it happen in her final go-round through the volleyball state tournament.
“It’s amazing,” Hanson-Wilbur said. “It would mean the world to win it. I want as much hardware as I can get.”
For first-year Fruitport head coach Samantha Fehler, competing for a district title will be a brand new experience.
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“it’s surreal,” said Fehler, who previously coached at Muskegon Community College. “I try to treat every match the same so we stay composed. But the girls have worked really hard to be at this point, and it’s fun to be a part of this with them.”
The Trojans got off to a great start against Kenowa Hills in the first set, taking 3-2 lead before going on an 8-2 run to pull ahead 11-4. That led to an easy 25-16 victory.
“We came out with really good energy,” Fehler said. ”Something we’ve really been focusing on is working so hard that we look boring. But we’re really excited to be where we’re at. We’ve been preparing for this.”
The Trojans also controlled most of the second set, jumping out to leads of 12-8 and 21-17. before Kenowa Hills roared back, tying the score at 23-23.
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Fruitport regained control, however, scoring the last two points to take a 25-23 win.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair. The score was tied 6-6, then the Trojans went on an 8-0 run to take a seemingly safe 14-6 lead.
But the Knights battled back again and eventually tied the score at 23-23.
The Trojans handled the challenge again, winning three of the final four points to take a 26-24 victory and sew up the match.
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Hanson-Wilbur led the Fruitport offense with 10 kills and picked up 17 digs.
Porter Johnson led the defense with 23 digs while Regan Wilson chipped in 17 digs.
Rowynn Miller and Wilson both totaled eight kills while Emma Fecher and Alexa Sweet each dished out 15 assists.
“The team did a great job defensively, both with blocking and playing scrappy defense,” Fehler said. “Kenowa Hills was relentless in their play tonight and pushed us to earn our points. Super proud of the team for getting it done in three.”
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