Reeths-Puffer struggled to a 7-30-1 record last year with a young and inexperienced roster. This season, which coach Justin Birr’s players have dubbed “RPVB Comeback Season,” the Rockets hope those trials bear fruit against an even more loaded conference.
The O-K Conference’s every-four-years realignment takes effect this fall, and the Green division, already strong, is even better with the addition of perennially state-ranked Jenison, as well as Caledonia and Byron Center. Better, too, is the Rockets’ roster, as the statistical top three offensive attackers are all back.
Mady Snyder leads the way, and she was an all-conference performer a season ago. Snyder joins Alissa Klopp as senior starters at outside hitter, and junior Mairyn Peterson, who was #3 on the team in kills last season, is back at middle hitter. Klopp and Peterson picked up valuable offseason experience on high-level club teams; Snyder, as an all-state player on the Rockets’ best-ever softball team this spring, she accrued big-game reps.
R-P’s biggest graduation loss was libero Megan Barmes, who tied the school record for career digs. Birr has no shortage of choices for back-row players, that libero spot included. He gave kudos to Kiera Ketner, Aubree Wilks, Mallorie Messer and Carlee Bowen for their summers as they battled for those positions.
At setter, R-P has the enviable choice of picking between two experienced players. Maddilynn Dyer and Grace Darke both had strong summers after playing the position last fall, and Birr said “it will be a very difficult decision on who gets the starting job.”
There’s not a lot of room for newcomers to make hay this year with so much experience back, but the Rockets expect contributions from Messer and Bowen, whom Birr calls “true athletes and gritty competitors.” Front-row performers Hailey Johnsen and Makayla Disselkoen, both juniors, are expected to get more playing time this fall.
R-P hopes for a strong showing at this fall’s GMAA tournament; last fall, the Rockets fell to two teams seeded behind them. They’ll also open the season at the Whitehall Invitational, taking on local opponents, rather than its traditional trip south to Coopersville, and host a quad meet that includes two potential GMAA foes (Fruitport and Ravenna) a few days later.
“I think after the first two weeks of the season, we will know our potential for where we stand in our county and our area,” Birr said.
