Tigers Dig Deep For District Title

Tigers celebrate District title with fans

Team rallies from 0-2 deficit

Grant hosted the Sparta Spartans for a District finals match that turned into a dogfight. The State-Ranked Tigers found themselves down 0-2 after the first two sets, losing 18-25 and 20-25. But the Tigers could not be counted out.
True to form, they were tenacious and battled back to win set three 25-14 and set four 25-23. That set up the final set for the winner takes all. The Tigers looked to senior OH Taylor Wegener and junior middle hitter Kylie Patton for ammunition to put the game away and deliver the 7th consecutive District title for the hosts.
Strong hitting performances were put in by Taylor Wegner with 19 kills and Kylie Patton with 17. Nicole Whan dished out 51 assists in the 5 set match while adding three service aces. Other ace serving came from Jill Arends with 3 aces, and Kim Settlemyre with 2 aces. Patton racked up 6 blocks while defensively  Olivia Keelean chipped in 19 digs Wegener added 18 and both Nicole Whan and Arends contributing 14 digs apiece.
After the match, Senior co-captain Wegener said, "We believe that you never give up, you stay positive, and you stay strong. Tonight we did exactly that."
Junior Keelean echoed that saying, " We are so proud of how our team worked together. We didn't give up and it paid off."
Junior Libero and team co-captain Arends added, "I'm so proud of our team and the way we pushed all the way through. I can't wait for Tuesday!”
“These girls have a love for the game and a love for each other,” said Coach Kristen Keelean. “No one gave up, no one faltered, everyone stepped up and did what needed to be done. To come back from a 0-2 deficit is not easy. This team has grit and fight that is so strong. I am so proud of each of them.”
The Tigers advance to Region #15 which will be hosted by Muskegon Orchard View on Tuesday. The Tigers will play the 7:30 match against South Christian in hopes of advancing to the Thursday night Regional Finals in the same time slot.