Shelby volleyball shows grit in comeback win over Whitehall at Whitehall Tri

WHITEHALL — Shelby coach McKenna Peters has been implementing a gritty mindset in her team in preseason practices, to the point where there have been consequences when the ball hits the floor. That work seemed to be paying off Thursday when the Tigers rallied from early deficits in games two and three to knock off Whitehall in the season-opening Whitehall Tri.

The Tigers won that match 13-25, 25-23, 24-21. They finished their day with a 25-17, 25-17 loss to an imposing Kent City squad.

"Since preseason started, we've been really pushing them hard, just focusing on a hustle mindset," Peters said. "I think it's something that we've worked on a lot in practice, just continuing to play, no matter what the score is, not showing in your body language whether you're winning or you're losing and just keeping a calm mentality no matter what."

Whitehall raced ahead and never looked back in the opening game of the teams' match, perhaps buoyed by having played against Kent City prior to the Tigers' taking the court. The Vikings took the lead in game two as well, but Shelby quickly responded to tie it at 7, and the game remained tight the rest of the way. Whitehall took a 21-20 lead down the stretch, but Shelby responded, and Izzy Rudat put her team ahead for good with a kill to make it 23-22. The Vikings then scored the final two points for Shelby with errors.

The Tigers again displayed a penchant for comebacks in game three, trailing most of the way, and by a 21-16 margin at one point, before storming back for the win. Haylie Smith delivered the go-ahead kill to make it 22-21, and then the Vikings made consecutive passing errors, setting Briar Peters up for the final kill.

Peters, the coach's sister, was set more than any other attacker in both matches and responded well, hitting .298 with 17 kills against Whitehall and adding seven more kills on a .238 hitting percentage against Kent City.

"She's made a lot of improvement from last year," coach Peters said. "Being her sister, I see a lot of what she's doing in the off-season. She's been working her tail off in the weight room trying to get her vertical higher, because she's a smaller hitter. She's just been working her tail off to get stronger, and it's showing in the way that she's swinging the ball."

In the middle, Haylie Smith and Annabelle Stark showed flashes of their talent as well. Stark recorded 30 digs on the day - 22 of them against Whitehall - and Smith joined her at the net for several key blocks. Peters said Smith is developing her chemistry with setter Peyton Rapes, and once that starts to click, the middle hitters will probably see the ball more often. Rapes had a good night, with 38 assists in all, and posted 26 digs in the two matches as well.

Stark didn't get involved in the offense that often, but when she did, she showed a fearlessness to swing hard that Peters said she has enjoyed watching.

"Annabelle is one of those kids who's going to go and rip the ball no matter what, whether she missed four before that or not," Peters said. "I try to teach her that, to continue being aggressive and not letting a couple errors get you down. I think that'll be a big help for us."

In addition to Smith, Peters noted junior Laura Twiss and sophomore Aria Kraus as up-and-coming players who should have an impact this season. Both are players that have shown a desire to get the ball whenever the opportunity is there.

Shelby hopes to compete for the top of the West Michigan Conference Rivers. North Muskegon won the title last year and graduated six seniors, and runner-up Hart moved to the Lakes division of the conference, so the race could be wide open. Matching up with quality teams like Whitehall and Kent City, as the Tigers did at this same tri last year, allows them to hone in on areas they need to improve, which should bear fruit down the road.

"My girls are showing a lot of work, and they want to continue to improve, and they want to win the conference this year," Peters said.