MUSKEGON — Hart checked one box off its list of goals for the 2026 season Saturday, knocking off top seed Fremont in the West Michigan Conference Lakes tournament final to earn a share of the conference championship.
Seeded No. 2 heading into the tournament, the Pirates (26-12-3) did their job to reach the final, routing Orchard View (25-11, 25-5) and dispatching Ludington in the semifinals (25-22, 25-13). The Pirates then fought back from a game one loss to upset the Packers 23-25, 25-13, 15-13 in an exciting final.
"The girls had a great overall day and played amazing team volleyball," Hart coach Shawn Bectel said.
Leading the way were top hitters Reese Smith and Peyton Erickson. Across the team's three matches, Smith totaled 29 kills while making only five errors, hitting an impressive .293 for the day. Erickson added 18 kills and hit .224. Erickson also had 10 blocks, leading a strong effort by Hart's front line. Ava Johnson had seven blocks and Jenna Babbin added five.
Alayna Schiller paced the defense with 50 digs on the day. Grace Tucker had 36 assists and Calyn Eisenlohr had 31. At the service line, Hart made 12 errors in three matches and totaled 21 aces. Schiller led the charge with five aces, and Eisenlohr and Tucker had four each.
