Losing to the arch rival FHN Huskies proved to be a tough way to start out conference play for the Rangers. Despite the early defeat, the team bounced back and won almost every conference game 2-0 for the rest of the season. The freshman volleyball team ended with a 9-1 conference record for the season. Big games from Cora Kelly, Lily Vanskiver, Delaney Tucker, and Rachel Toole helped fuel the Rangers to continuous victory. After the Northern loss, the team went through some big mental changes.

Coach Kayleigh Vigh explains how she prepared her team to play with such dominance the rest of the season.

“The season was extremely successful as a whole,” Vigh said. “Not only did we have a phenomenal record, but each girl on the team grew as volleyball players and leaders.”

Freshman Cora Kelly was a huge threat to the opposing team every week with her powerful hits. Her and freshman Lily Vanskiver hit the ball so hard that their opponents didn’t stand a chance of returning it. Cora’s biggest hits came in the rematch against Northern, where she helped secure the convincing victory.

“To be a successful hitter, I have to keep lifting in the weight room to get ready for next season,” Cora said as she plans to make herself better for next season.

The games after the heart-breaking loss to Northern went extremely well. The Rangers beat Greenville, Cedar Springs, Northview, Lowell, and Ottawa Hills twice. But most importantly, the Rangers got revenge on the Huskies the second time the two met.

Many of the team’s wins were blowouts. The Rangers held the Greenville Yellow Jackets to 15 points the entire match when these two met at home. The Lady Rangers also held the Ottawa Hills Bengals under 10 points in both sets in their season finale.

“The best moment of our season was when we played our last game of the season together, it was just a very special moment,” freshman Lily Vanskiver said as the year comes to an end.

Despite the successful and dominant season this year, there is always room for players to improve.

“In every off season I encourage any volleyball player to go back to the fundamentals, and work hard on a club team,” Vigh said. “With that being said, I encourage them to spend an equal amount of time in the weight room. Getting to the higher levels [of play] require an increased level of physical fitness.”