GRAND RAPIDS – Sometimes in sports you just run into an opponent that plays an excellent game, and there’s nothing you can do to slow them down.

That was the case for the Fruitport volleyball team, which ended another great season with a stunning and disappointing loss to Allendale on Thursday night in the Division 2 district championship game at Grand Rapids Covenant Christian High School.

The Trojans lost via set scores of 25-18, 25-22, 25-21.

The loss ended Fruitport’s two-year run of district championships.

Allendale, 21-10, will now go on to play Fremont in a Division 2 regional semifinal matchup.

That’s a painful irony for the Trojans, who lost a heartbreaking five-set match to Fremont in the regional finals last year, and were very much hoping for a chance to get even against the Packers this year.

But the Falcons earned the right to move on to regionals because they rose to the occasion on Thursday.

“Allendale played great tonight,” said Fruitport head coach Samantha Fehler. “They honestly played lights out. They hustled for every single ball. We were hustling too, but it felt like every long rally, Allendale was winning it.”

The Trojans never led in the first set. Allendale jumped out to an 11-3 advantage and cruised to a 25-18 victory, which set the tone for the evening.

Fruitport started out strong in the second set, grabbing a 3-0 lead, but Allendale won 14 of the next 21 points to take a 14-10 lead.

The two teams battled and were tied 21-21 before Allendale won four of the final five points to take a 25-22 win.

Allendale was once again dominant in the third set, jumping out to a 16-10 lead before Fruitport was able to fight back and cut the deficit to 19-18.

The Falcons won six of the final nine points, however, to ultimately win 25-21 and complete the sweep.

The loss ended the high school volleyball careers of several Trojans who have been part of the team’s great three-year run.

Two years ago Fruitport  won district and regional titles and reached the Division 2 state quarterfinals.

Last year they won a district title and reached the regional finals.

This season was just as great in many ways, even though it did not result in any postseason trophies.

Fruitport finished with a 31-8-2 record and won its third straight O-K Silver conference championship

The season started with a bit of disappointment, when the Trojans, with a talented and experienced lineup, went 0-2-1 at the Coopersville Invitational.

They got things going after that, however, winning 10 straight matches, and 13 of their next 14 matches.

Fruitport came into districts on a roll, and seemed to be peaking at the right time, winning seven straight matches before Thursday night.

One of those recent victories was over NorthPointe Christian in the O-K Silver Conference tournament championship match. Ironically, another one came against Allendale in a hard-fought match last week.

While the season definitely did not end in a way that the Trojans would have preferred, senior standout Izzy Hanson-Wilbur said she is still very proud of her team.

“I think I can speak for everyone when I say we are disappointed with how the season ended – no one expected that and it took us by surprise,” said Hanson-Wilbur, who ended a great four year varsity volleyball career. “For me personally, I am still proud of how my team played and pushed through every set. Even when we were down we focused on having a positive attitude and not shutting down on one another.

“This one loss does not define how we played this entire season. We have hit goals we never thought we would, and built a connection with one another that will last forever.

“I obviously am sad with how it ended, but I look back at all of the good and I’m proud of how my team played and how I have played this season.”

Coach Fehler, who finished her first year leading the team, echoed those sentiments.

“The girls came to work hard every day,” she said. “In practice, I never had to remind them to hustle and work hard. That kind of stuff is the stuff you see at the college level, so I’m incredibly proud that they’ve built this program up like that.”

The Trojans will say goodbye to five seniors – Hanson-Wilbur, Addison Bordeaux, Emma Fecher, Josalyn Nowicki and Alexa Sweet – who will leave with a legacy of great success.

“All five of them have played an incredible role here,” Fehler said. “They left a legacy on the program. and it’s one with hardware and awards. But it’s not just that, it’s also who they are as people. and leadership-wise. on and off the court. They’ve made an incredible impact as a group.”