White Team

25 – 12, 25 – 15

Last night Whitmore Lake’s White team kicked off the middle school volleyball season with a bang.  Hailey Bowers got the ball rolling, by serving 14 straight points to open the first set.  Claire Birley added a couple more points and the Trojans never looked back cruising to an astounding 25 – 12 first set victory.  The second set was much the same as the first with Bowers starting the set serving up 12 points before handing the ball to Novi Christian.  Harper Dewar and Sarah Brown also had big contributions from the serving line, giving Whitmore Lake another easy win, 25 – 15.  Birely, Brown and Grace Hyland all had some great passes keeping the Trojans alive, while Bowers was all over the court with some strategically placed sets, dropping the ball to the floor on the other side of the net.  The White team's record is 1 – 0 (1 – 0 MIAC).

Red Team

25 – 11, 25 – 13

Not to be outdone, Whitmore Lake’s Red team was even stingier with giving up points than the White team.  After serves by Brooklyn Blumenstiel, Isla Sterzik and Kiera Leonard, Whitmore Lake was on top with a healthy lead, 10 – 4.  Next up to the serving line was Abby Muchow, driving home five more points and after just one complete rotation, Whitmore Lake finished the set, 25 – 11.  In the second set Blumenstiel put the first five points on the board, and on her second turn at the line added six more on the Trojans way to another easy win at 25 – 15.  Keirra Leonard and Ally St. Charles also had strong showings from the serving line.  Sterzik and St. Charles had some great point-saving hits for Whitmore Lake showing the emphasis on effort and hustle is paying off.  The Red team's record is 1 – 0 (1 – 0 MIAC).

Black Team

25 – 20, 25 – 13, 8 - 15

Whitmore Lake’s Black team had some big footprints to follow but wasn’t about to disappoint.  Mila Proimos served the first three points for Whitmore Lake but after each team had two turns at the serving line, the first set was tied at four.  Grace Bennardi gave the Trojans some breathing room adding five points off her serve.  From there, Whitmore Lake struggled from the serving line and couldn’t put away the Warriors.  Midway through the set, Whitmore Lake was holding on to a slim 16 – 15 lead, but have no fear, Bennardi is here.  She stepped to the line and tossed in seven good serves taking the Trojans to the brink of winning the first set and two side outs later, the first set was over at 25 – 20.  Whitmore Lake needed just one more set to cap off an undefeated night.  Like the first set, the second was close in the beginning, but then Channing Cook came off the bench to pinch serve and added three aces to get Whitmore Lake rolling.  A few rotations later, Proimos added three points off her serve, making it 19 – 12.  Next it was the serving machine’s turn and Bennardi took the Trojans home, serving the final five points, for a 25 – 13 second set and match win.  With the match in hand, Whitmore Lake put players in different positions to get experience for the future.  This change caused some miscues, keeping the Trojans out of sync.  As the set progressed, you could see the team progressing, but with the short 15-point final set, there just wasn’t enough time for a Trojan comeback and Whitmore Lake dropped the final set 8 – 15.  For the first match of the season, the girls did an awesome job of passing the ball to the setters, who set up the hitters for numerous powerful attacks.  Whitmore Lake was also communicating well and scrambling all over the court, reinforcing their goal of never letting a ball hit the floor without at least getting a touch on the ball.  Besides her great serving, Bennardi was a monster at the net with several tips to end the point for the Trojans.  The black team's record is 1 – 0 (1 – 0 MIAC).  Whitmore Lake will be back in action on Thursday for another home match against Inter-city Baptist.