Zeeland East High School

The Chix got off to a strong start on Tuesday night with strong showings by the JV and Freshman teams. Of particular note, were the performances of two freshman, freshman team outside, Mari Meza and JV outside, Lucy Gruppen. Both had incredible performances that saw them elevate their game for their teams. The freshman team fell in two close sets and JV came out with a tenacious 3 set win over a stellar Hawkeye JV squad. Then it was varsity's turn to take the court. The Chix got off to a much-needed strong start in the first and captured a 25-14 first set win. Things got closer in the second and saw the visiting team chasing from behind for much of the second set. A series of tough plays found the Chix struggling to gain ground. That is when sophomore setter, Samantha Murphy took over the offense and assisted a much-needed kill and several other series to get Zeeland East back in control of the set. The moment proved pivotal and was a testament to the sophomore setter's work throughout her first varsity campaign. The Chix took set two 25-19 thanks to the strong run and concluded the night with a 25-17 third set victory to remain unbeaten in matches and sets so far during the 2026 OK Black conference season. Junior opposite, Ava Geerlings and Junior outside, Fenna Gruppen continued their excellence in recent weeks with aggression all night at the net on the offensive side. Zone 6 defenders Camille Louwerse and Jordyn Grassmid, the latter of which played probably her best game of the season, locked down the back row and kept the Chix in system much of the night. Senior middle hitter, Bri Cole, secured player of the game honors for the varsity match and notched her 101st kill, a career season high, just a month and a half into the season.