The Hawkeyes delivered when it mattered most, defeating their West Michigan rivals to become district champions
By: Ally Zomberg
Hamilton Varsity volleyball and Holland Christain had built a rivalry over their seasons, but on November 7, 2019, there was more than rivalry pride on the line. The two teams were playing for the district championship, and Hamilton was trying to continue its undefeated record against Holland Christian.
Hamilton had already beaten Holland Christian twice that season, but the district championship would be their most important match yet. The Hawkeyes were also ranked No. 2 in division 2 at the time, making the pressure even greater.
Hamilton started the match strong, winning the first set. Holland Christian responded by taking the second and third sets, putting Hamilton in a 1-2 hole. With the district championship on the line, Hamilton had to win the final two sets.
Hamilton Varsity Volleyball Coach, James Mikolajczyk, however, wasn’t worried.
“When we were down 1-2, I was looking over our stats for the match and deciding what rotation we were going to start in the fourth set to best take advantage of the matchups and player performance for the night.” Coach Mikolajczyk said. “I wasn’t stressed. We were fine. We knew who we were.”
Hamilton knew they had to change something. The team began serving more aggressively to take Holland Christian out of their comfort zone, while improving their serve receive to get better first contacts and establish defense.
“We did two things better that helped us with sets 4 and 5” Mikolajczyk stated. “We served more aggressively to take HC out of their comfort zone and our serve receive got better first contacts to get us in the system more.”
Hamilton also found success attacking through the middle and mixing up shots by tipping to the middle and down the line. The changes made Hamilton less predictable and helped create more opportunities for its offense.
The fourth set became another close battle between the two teams. When Hamilton won the set, the momentum completely shifted.
“We could feel that we took the wind out of HC’s sails,” Coach Mikolajczyk said.
Now it came down to one final set.
Hamilton focused on winning the races to five, ten and fifteen points. The Hawkeyes came out with energy and dominated the fifth set 15-6, completing the comeback and winning the District Championship.
The team’s mental toughness was a major reason they were able to recover after falling behind.
“We had been down before where we needed to win the last two sets in order to win the match.” Mikolajczyk said. “We reminded the girls of these moments. ‘We’ve done this before, so let’s do it again.’”
Communication also played a big role in the comeback. Coach Mikolajczyk emphasized that everyone mattered, including the players on the bench.
“Communication is always key in volleyball. On the court, in the huddle, on the bench. Everyone is vital to the team’s success.” he said.
Hamilton’s bench brought energy throughout the comeback, helping players on the court raise their level when they needed it the most.
Several players stood out for Hamilton, including setter Shelby Kragt, outside hitters Corbyn Wayner and Justine Bronkhorst, and middle hitters AJ Ediger and Liv Lappinga.
The win was especially meaningful because of Hamilton’s history with Holland Christian. From 2017 through 2019, Hamilton had won every matchup between the two teams. Coach Mikolajczyk said that history gave the players confidence without making them overlook their opponent.
“There wasn’t a player on that varsity team that had ever lost a varsity match to Holland Christain on the volleyball court,” he said. “That mattered to us.”
The team even had former players record videos sharing memories of the rivalry and moments when they had overcome difficult situations.
“While victories in the past don’t deliver wins today, they can give you confidence knowing that you’ve done it before you can do it again,” Mikolajczyk said.
The district championship was also one of Hamilton’s goals from the beginning of the season.
“Before the season, winning the district championship was one of our team goals,” Coach said. “We had bigger goals, but we needed to take care of this one in order to have the opportunity to achieve other goals.”
But the night against Holland Christian stood out.
For the senior class, it was a chance to win a championship together and keep their season alive. For the team, it was another chapter in a rivalry where Hamilton had consistently found a way to win. And for the Hamilton community, it was a comeback that showed the character of the team.
“This senior class was a joy to coach,” Mikolajczyk said. “We didn’t want our season to end so early. Also, we could feel our student sections supported all year long and it felt good to win for them too.”
The significance of the match wasn’t simply that Hamilton won the district championship. It was that the team was tested, fell behind, and responded together. Down 1-2 Hamilton didn’t panic. They trusted their preparation, communicated, brought energy and believed they could finish the job.
Coach James Mikolajczyk stated, there was never a point when he doubted they would. “So, no, there was never a moment where I thought to myself that we ‘might’ win it,” he said. “I was confident we could win it the whole time.”
On November 7, 2019, Hamilton didn’t just beat Holland Christian again, They came back from a 1-2 deficit to win a district championship, creating one of the most defining moments of the 2019 season.