Goodrich’s varsity volleyball team faced ? and triumphed against ? a familiar foe in their Mar. 1 district opener.
The host Martians advanced with a 25-14, 25-10, 25-20 win against Genesee Area Conference Red Division foe Montrose. Goodrich advanced to take on Mt. Morris in a scheduled district semifinal matchup Saturday, Mar. 4, with the district finals scheduled for later that day.
Tara Garman had three aces, 11 digs, 25 kills and six blocks, while Alyssa Bertrand had eight digs, four kills and 32 assists. Katie Birch chipped in with eight digs and four kills.
Although it wasn’t quite enough to get them the Genesee Area Conference Red Division championship, Goodrich captured the league tournament Feb. 25.
The Martians went 4-0 in the tournament to capture the title. Goodrich defeated Mt. Morris in the championship match to take second place in the league.
Goodrich started the day out slow, losing game one to Lake Fenton. Determined not to be bounced into the losers? bracket, the Martians rallied back to defeat Lake Fenton in the next two games winning the match.
Next came a strong LakeVille team. In game one, the Martians were behind 19-23, and rallied back with strong team defensive play to narrow the deficit to 22-24. It was match point for Lakeville, and the Martians rallied again with strong defensive play to bring the score to a one-point deficit, 24-23. Goodrich eventually tied the score 28-28 and got match point off of another Martian defensive rally. Birch served the game-winning point, finally defeating Lakeville 30-28.
In game two, behind great defensive team play and strong serving from seniors Bertrand, Garman and Nancy VanVlack and junior Heather Coates, Goodrich defeated LakeVille, sending them to the losers? bracket.
Next came another tough match, with Goodrich defeating Mt. Morris in 3 games. Mt. Morris won the first game 28-26 in a seesaw defensive battle. In game two, behind strong team defense and the serving of Garman (who served 11 straight points in the third rotation, with five aces) Goodrich took a 19-6 lead.
Garman, VanVlack and Coates were all perfect in serving and went 18/18 to defeat the Panthers. In game three it was the same scenario, but this time Coates served eight straight points in the third rotation to take a 12-5 lead and put the match out of reach for Mt. Morris.
In the championship match, Goodrich defeated Mt. Morris in three games. Coach Richard Sirna said the excellent defensive team play and strong serving of Garman, Bertrand and VanVlack, as well as Coates and junior Brittany Tiedeman, sealed the championship.
‘The seniors on this team were highly motivated to win the tournament and their intensity and determination sparked the team to the next level of play,? Sirna said. ‘The entire team played excellent defensively during the tournament and was the key to Goodrich winning.?