ESKO — Grand Rapids sophomore Paisley Sweeney continued a hot streak with 14 kills but an experienced Esko team ground down the Thunderhawks in a sweep Tuesday.
Grand Rapids, with just two returning starters from the 2025 Section 7AAA championship team, fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-20) to a red-hot Esko team which had notched wins against Class AAA Princeton and North Branch in a tournament last weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
Thunderhawks coach Rebekah Sutherland thought perhaps news of Esko’s big wins affected her team’s mindset. In Grand Rapids' (5-3) season-opener, they lost to Princeton and Sutherland could see her team “worried about the end result” instead of the “process.”
“When you stay disciplined and are worried about the process, the end result will be in our favor,” she said. “We were looking ahead, I could tell our girls were more nervous …We shouldn't be nervous anymore, but they heard Esko beat Princeton and there was a lot riding on this game. It’s a good lesson early on to stay focused.”
The Thunderhawks also ran into an Esko team that surprised their own coach with their work on Tuesday. Pete Stasiuk said his team is “steady” and constantly pressuring other teams.
“We’re fi...