HESPERIA — Shelby played well in all facets of the game Tuesday night and cruised to a win over county rival Hesperia in West Michigan Conference Rivers action, 25-13, 25-10, 25-18, to remain undefeated in the league.
The Tigers (10-12, 3-0 WMC Rivers) hit a solid .164 as a team and did a lot of damage at the service line, posting 19 aces in all. Coach McKenna Peters said playing with confidence helped propel the team forward.
"Our biggest thing was that we hit aggressive and we served aggressive, which is something they've been working on a bunch, and not playing timid, and being aggressive and swinging hard," Peters said. "We did a really good job of that. Even when we made some errors, we just kept swinging."
The biggest instigator of that offensive aggression was Briar Peters, the coach's sister, who posted 12 kills and hit .235 on the night. The usual centerpiece of the offense, she had been struggling in recent matches, said coach Peters, and the conversation between them was imploring the younger Tiger to keep seeking out her attacks.
"Our conversation was, 'You just have to keep swinging through it. If you're going to get timid. It's not going to get better, and you just have to keep being aggressive and eventually it's going to come back to you,'" coach Peters said. "She did that. She was struggling a little bit, just kept being aggressive, and it's been working out for her a little bit better."
The Shelby offense hummed most of the night, thanks in large part to the work of setter Peyton Rapes, who had 18 assists. Rapes said she attempts to spread the ball around to keep other hitters involved, though Peters consistently leads the team in attacks.
Another area Rapes excelled was serving. She had five of the team's 19 aces (Hali Hayes' six led the Tigers) and paced the team in service points, with 19. Her success there started right from the beginning, as she helped the Tigers rip off the next five points after Hesperia got on the board first in game one.
Hesperia's Sarissa Conkle (11) sends an attack at Shelby's Haylie Smith (9) and Peyton Rapes during Tuesday's WMC Rivers match at Hesperia. The Tigers won, 3-0.
Rapes said coach Peters drills the team on serving in practice, giving them specific zones to hit - and that players have to do a run if they don't successfully hit them.
"I think it's made our serving a lot better because there are consequences for not making the serves," Rapes smiled.
The junior setter noted that it was important for the Tigers to keep their focus in the match, an area she felt isn't always the team's strongest. It likely helped that a county rival was on the other side of the net.
"It's important to keep our focus because we get really off track, and so if we're not focused on what we're doing in the moment, we're probably just going to be thinking of something else, and we're going to lose," Rapes said. "We need to stay focused so we can win."
Hesperia coach Erin Redinger-Rottier declined comment after the match. The Panthers fell to 2-10 and 0-4 in WMC Rivers action.
Peters added that getting a chance to play well and win was a good focus point for her team, which has struggled lately against some higher-level competition at tris and tournaments.
Hesperia's Emily McCallum (13) gathers a ball in as teammates look on during Tuesday's WMC Rivers match against Shelby. The Tigers won, 3-0.
"I think we needed it," Peters said. "We've been playing some really tough teams. We've been playing good, but we haven't been getting the wins that we've wanted, even though we've been happy with our play. It was just nice to come get a win. I think it was fun for them and enjoyable."
Izzy Rudat had five blocks for the Tiger defense, and Emma Stovall posted 19 digs. Peters and Rapes chipped in 11 apiece.
Shelby's unbeaten WMC Rivers mark keeps the Tigers where they want to be in the league standings. They are slated to face Rivers power North Muskegon in the conference regular season finale Oct. 20, but can't look ahead to that match, because next Tuesday comes a visit from Ravenna, whose only league loss was to those same Norse, in four games.
"We're where we want to be," Peters said. "I think we still have a lot to work on, but I think we're happy with what's going to come and the chance that we have of being pretty high up there."
