Shelby got the best of Hart in a very tight match Thursday as part of the Cedar Springs Quad. Both teams posted 1-2 records at the quad.
The Tigers edged Hart 25-21, 24-26, 25-21 during the quad. Hart was able to eke out a win over Cedar Springs, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20, and the Tigers fell to Cedar Springs 25-12, 25-15. Both teams lost matches to Zeeland West, Hart by a score of 25-17, 20-25, 25-15 and Shelby by 25-20, 25-6 margin.
The Hart/Shelby match was the last of the evening, and Shelby coach McKenna Peters was pleased with her Tigers' response after a rough first two matches.
"After our loss to Cedar Springs, we talked about how we were lacking energy and getting caught up in things we couldn’t control," Peters said. "I asked the team to just play with heart, enjoy the game, and support each other and celebrate the good and lift each other up during the tough moments. They really responded in the Hart game, and it showed in how they played together. I was proud of their effort and how much they enjoyed the game, especially after a couple of tough losses."
Briar Peters enjoyed a great match against Hart, posting 10 kills, 22 digs and three aces in that match alone. Peters tied with Brylee Friedman for the team lead on the night with 39 total digs and had a team-high 15 kills in all.
Four different Tigers, coach Peters said, recorded double-digit digs against Hart.
"Defense has been a major focus for us since the first couple of weeks of the season," coach Peters said. "It's exciting to see the numbers reflect the progress we've made."
Peyton Rapes racked up 40 assists on the night, and Kylie Brown posted four aces.
Hart (12-16-1), meanwhile, got a whopping 82 digs from Alayna Schiller, who also led the Pirates with four aces. Reese Smith notched 26 kills, and Cali Eisenlohr and Grace Tucker combined for 63 assists.
