LocalSportsJournal.com
WYOMING – For the second consecutive year, Hart volleyball finished its outing at the Freedom Invitational with athletes donning shiny new medals.
After finishing pool play with a 6-0 record, the Pirates were awarded a No. 1 seed. To get there, Hart knocked off the Kalamazoo Cougars (25-17, 25-14), Traverse City Bulldogs (25-7, 25-8) and the Algoma Christian Knights (25-19, 25-19).
In pool play, Hart started off with a tough matchup with the host school and No. 2 seeded team, Rivertown Christian. The Pirates swept the Patriots in two sets, 25-18 and 25-15 to advance to the finals.
A rematch with Algoma Christian awaited Hart in the finals, and though the Patriots played them tough, the Pirates came out on top. The Pirates completed their championship run with a 25-15 and 25-10 finish in a two-set victory.
Leading the way for the Pirates was Kelsey Copenhaver with 29 assists, 23 kills, 22 digs and four blocks. Reese Smith (28 digs, 17 kills, 12 aces, four blocks), Brynn Russell (13 kills, seven blocks, four digs) and Alayna Schiller (44 digs) all chipped in valuable contributions.
The Pirates (13-8-2, 0-2 in the WMC-Rivers) host Hesperia on Tuesday.
