PENTWATER — Pentwater didn't look like a team that had to quickly replace its setter Wednesday night, dominating a rivalry match with Walkerville in a 25-11, 25-14, 25-10 sweep. That's a tribute to the work done by Falcon freshman Riley Swanger, who was plugged into that spot on the fly after setter Stella Bouye recently broke her hand.
Swanger, making her first appearance at setter, kept the Falcon offense humming throughout the evening as Pentwater looked cohesive and confident with the ball on their side of the net. Swanger had a team-best 18 service points, eight aces and six assists.
Falcons' coach Kelly Pascavis has been pleased with how quickly her team has improved after beginning the season with only three varsity returners.
"I think they're maturing as a team," Pascavis said. "I think they're realizing that they need each other, and volleyball is definitely not just an individual sport. They're developing together well as a team."
They're also showing off the endurance built over their time as multi-sport athletes, which just about every Falcon is. That was clear early on. The teams had a very long rally early in game one, ultimately ending in a kill by the Wildcats' Grace Riggs. Pascavis called timeout to give her team a breather - which she quickly learned they didn't think they needed.
"They don't wear out as easy," Pascavis said. "That one rally, they hung in there, and I called a timeout just because I wanted to give them a breather, and I asked them how they were, and they were, like, 'We're good, Coach. Let's go.' I think them being in multiple sports helps."
After Walkerville won that long rally, Pentwater (2-3, 1-1 West Michigan D League) took command of the match. Emma Werkema-Grondsma, who led the team with five kills, unleashed a lengthy serving run that sent the game from 6-6 to 15-7, and the Falcons weren't to be denied from there.
Walkerville briefly led game two, 4-3, but the Falcons stormed back to roll to the win there too. The Wildcats did enjoy their individual highlight of the match during game two when Isabel Babbin stuck her foot out to save a ball and it bounced over the net for an unorthodox kill.
On the whole, though, it was a tough night for Walkerville (0-5, 0-2 WMD), one coach Sara Jongekryg readily conceded wasn't her team's best. She chalked some of her team's struggles up to the nerves of a county rivalry.
"They want it really bad," Jongekryg said. "Sometimes they hesitate too much. I think they'll make a mistake, and then you waste a second, and that's the second you need."
Despite the Wildcats' 0-5 mark so far, Jongekryg said the team is showing improvement. Walkerville has hit the 20-point mark in two different games this season - once against Mason County Eastern and another time against Hesperia. If the team can shore up its serve receive - the Falcons racked up several aces on plays where the ball fell between Walkerville players - the 'Cats could become more competitive.
"They won't quit," Jongekryg said. "They'll come ready to go tomorrow, and we'll work on the things that we struggled with and we'll be ready for the next game."
Pentwater, which took game one against Mesick in its WMD opener before falling in four games, views itself as a team that, with some improvements, could measure up with some of the top teams in the conference. With so many new players in new spots, it's possible that improvement could happen quickly.
"I have a lot of juniors, but they're very young juniors," Pascavis said. "They'd never played at the varsity level. I only had three return from varsity last year. That's been a struggle. It's a very fast pace compared to what they're used to.
"I just think they're growing as a team, and they can only get better."
