Longtime Fruitport volleyball coach Nicole Bayle has experienced her share of championships.

But she has to stop and think a moment these days when you ask her to name the last year that her Trojans won a conference title.

It turns out that it was back in 2018, which was also the last year that Fruitport made the state Final Four.

There have been some leaner seasons since then, when the victories and trophies became more scarce.

Last year was particularly rough, with the Trojans going 1-13 in their final go-round in the brutal O-K Blue conference.

But losing a lot makes winning sweeter, and the Trojans have been having the time of their lives this season.

They improved their record to 23-9 overall and 6-0 in O-K Silver conference play on Thursday with an easy 3-0 victory over visiting Kelloggsville on Senior Night.

The set scores were 25-8, 25-4, 25-9.

Sadie Haase led the team with 13 kills. Gracelynn Olson added six and Ella Stroup had five.

Olson set the attack up with 24 assists. Tara Sweet served five aces and Izzy Hanson-Wilbur had four.

Defensively, Emma Fecher led the way with five digs while Sweet and Olson each contributed four.

It was a special night for Haase and Sweet, the seniors on the roster who were honored as they near the end of their varsity careers.

It was also special for junior setter Gracelynn Olson, who reached the 2,000 milestone for career assists with another year of varsity to go.

“Our kids played great tonight,” said Bayle, whose team has now won eight of its last 10 matches. “It was exciting. We had a big student section there. A lot of the soccer and football players came out to cheer us on. It was nice to see the kids playing in front of their peers and having fun and winning.”

The next really special moment might be when the Trojans win that next conference championship, which they are closing in on.

One remaining hurdle will come next Thursday when they travel for a showdown with Calvin Christian, the other undefeated team in the O-K Silver. After that the Trojans will compete in the conference tournament, which also has a bearing on the overall championship.

No matter what happens, Fruitport is definitely in the hunt for a trophy again, and the coaches and players love that feeling.

“It’s been great to see our girls building confidence,” Bayle said. “We have a good volleyball team this year. We started the season playing some of the top teams in the state, and it took some time for us to find our mojo a little, but we’re playing really good volleyball right now.

“We have a lot of the same kids who went through the struggle last year in a tough conference. It does pay off. They recognize the level of play they need to have.”

The Trojans actually have bigger goals, beyond a conference title, and Bayle isn’t shy about saying it.

The state tournament is only a few weeks away, and the coach thinks her team has the potential to go a long way.

Bayle obviously knows what it takes to go far in the postseason, after winning state titles with Fruitport back in 2010 and 2011.

“I really feel like the sky is the limit for us, looking at our district path and beyond,” she said. “It’s a pretty good, winnable type of path, at least until the state quarterfinals or semifinals. Most of the top five teams in the state are in the other bracket.

“We still have to respect our opponents, though, starting in districts. Teams like Montague and Whitehall and Spring Lake are perennial powers and will be competitive. We will have to keep our heads and stay focused and continue to improve.”