The Grand Rapids Christian Eagles traveled to Lakewood High School on Saturday morning to compete in the Lakewood Invitational, playing a total of five matches throughout a long day of entertaining volleyball.

In pool play, the Eagles were grouped with Caledonia, Big Rapids, and Petoskey. They opened the day with a dominant performance against Petoskey High School, winning in straight sets, 25-15 and 25-12. Piper Cebulski was key at the service line, delivering 5 aces. The team posted an outstanding hitting percentage of .528, with both Annie Ferwerda and Taylor Frost recording a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage.

Next up was Big Rapids, where the Eagles once again cruised to victory, 25-6 and 25-19. Mya McKinnon led the offense with 8 kills and an impressive .778 hitting percentage. Grace Goodyke and Micah Knoester were a force at the net, holding Big Rapids to zero digs during their time on the court.

The final match of pool play came against Caledonia High School, and the Eagles showed no signs of slowing down. Playing clean, efficient volleyball, they overwhelmed their opponent. Rylee Anderson recorded a stellar 2.5 passing average against a strong serving team. The Eagles hit an incredible .714 as a team, with Goodyke leading the way with 9 kills and Maddie Lanheer adding 6 kills on a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage. Goodyke also added 5 aces to the team’s total of 10.

With three commanding wins, the Eagles advanced to the gold bracket, where they faced two familiar rivals: Division 2 powerhouse Lakewood and conference opponent East Grand Rapids.

In the semifinal against Lakewood, the Eagles kept their momentum rolling with a 25-8, 25-16 win. It was another high-efficiency performance, with the team averaging a 2.5 passing rating (out of a perfect 3.0). Elise Renz contributed 5 of the team’s 9 aces, while Taylor Frost anchored the defense with 6 of the Eagles’ 10 digs.

In the finals, the Eagles squared off against East Grand Rapids. Despite a few long service runs by Grace Goodyke and Piper Cebulski, the team struggled to overcome slow starts in both sets and fell 0-2 to the Pioneers, with final scores of 19-25 and 20-25. The loss secured a second-place finish for the Eagles.

Grand Rapids Christian now looks ahead to their next match: an away conference matchup against Ottawa Hills High School, marking their first road conference match of the season.