Schoolcraft claimed its second straight Class C district volleyball title Thursday night with 25-14, 25-17, 25-18 win over White Pigeon at Centreville High School.
The seventh-ranked Eagles improved to 35-12-1 and host either Niles Brandywine or New Buffalo Tuesday in the regional semifinals. White Pigeon finished the year with a 23-16-1 record.
Chiefs head coach Tony Hooley knew his squad would have to play flawlessly to upset the Eagles.
“We just didn’t play clean enough to beat a team like Schoolcraft,” he said. They are in the top 10 for a reason. They are a little bigger, faster and more experienced than we are.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how hard the team played all the way to the final point. A lot of times you will see a lopsided score in the third set after dropping the first two, but they didn’t take their foot off the gas tonight. They made some great defensive saves that demonstrate how much heart these girls play with.”
It was the end of the road for seniors Bethany Hagner and Rachel Brock. Hagner finished her prep volleyball career with 11 kills and nine digs Thursday. Brock added five digs. Skyler DeMeyer posted 18 assists and five digs, Danielle Chantrenne added seven kills, Riley Phelps had seven kills, Sydney Harmon registered six digs and Kathrina Hagner chipped in five kills.
“We will miss our two seniors, Bethany and Rachel,” Hooley said. “They were the cornerstones of our team this season.”