MUSKEGON — Even though Reeths-Puffer went 1-2 at its home quad meet Tuesday night, Rockets' coach Syann Fairfield was pleased with her team's mindset throughout the evening.
One big reason for her optimism was how the Rockets responded to finding out that morning that leading attacker Lexie Danz would miss the matches with an injury. Fairfield said the Rockets expressed a willingness to play wherever needed to fill in the gaps.
"I think (it) was a really big moment for everyone to prove themselves and step into some different roles," Fairfield said. "Their mindset is great. They're gritty, they hustled and they worked hard. They're executing very well. Eventually those wins will come, but for right now we're celebrating the little things."
The Rockets took a 25-16, 25-15 defeat to Allendale in their first match and fell just short of a win against Hart in their second, dropping a thriller 25-18, 29-31, 25-23. R-P then edged Kenowa Hills 25-21, 25-23 to salvage a victory from the night.
Getting so many reps in close games, and coming out on top on a couple of occasions, such as game two against Hart and in both games against the Knights, was something the Rockets can build on.
"It's hard to build those high pressure situations in practice," Fairfield said. "That's what games are for, is to put all of that to the test. It's the easiest way to build pressure. Facing some big time hitters and ball control teams from the Grand Rapids area, to be able to play against that is helpful."
Leah Zuniga led the Rocket defense on the night with 34 digs, and she also served five aces. Kate Tindall piloted the offense with 80 assists. Mackenzie Danz and Addison Whittaker had 23 and 22 kills respectively.
