JENISON – Karis Chatfield will remember last year’s Division 1 District Final against Hudsonville as one of the best days of her life thus far. 

It was a day that erased several years of heartbreaking losses for the Jenison volleyball team. 

“I will talk about that day forever because it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” the senior standout said. “Some of the girls we played against were my best friends and they had beaten us the last two years, so to pull off that win in that atmosphere and to do that in front of that crowd and then to be able to play in the Regional Finals on our home court was just an awesome opportunity.”

Jenison swept rival Hudsonville 3-0 to claim its first District championship since 2013 and then defeated Mona Shores in the Regional Semifinals.

The season ended against Rockford in the Regional Finals, but that loss is fueling this year’s team.

“That's our goal again this year, but our goal is to get even further,” Chatfield said. “I think the loss to Rockford is going to light a fire under our butts. Not every girl plays at a super-high club level and hasn’t been in those situations to see those lights when the pressure is on you, so I think they learned a lot about what it takes mentally. I think that will help a lot this year.”

Chatfield, a returning all-state first-team selection who has committed to East Tennessee State, will be joined by several key returnees, including senior Charlee Cochran and juniors Ava Bush-Nelson, Rylee Paddock and McKenzie Thompson.

Wildcats coach Teran Peerboom-Vanderbroek said last year’s MHSAA Tournament run gave her team a taste of playing in pressure-packed moments against quality competition.

“Now that they’ve seen that and been there, they kind of got the feel for it and they know that they can do it,” she said. “Yes, the big stage was new to us, but we handled the pressure and we are ready to go this year. We beat Rockford twice last year, we beat Northville, so they’re excited for the opportunity to be on that platform again.

“We want to win and go further than last year, and I definitely think we have the potential and the talent to do so.”

Chatfield, an outside hitter, has emerged as one of the top players in the state and was named a finalist for Detroit Free Press Preseason Player of the Year.

As a junior, the 5-foot-11 Chatfield registered 518 kills, 470 digs, 62 assists, 73 aces and 39 blocks. She is among the program’s top three leaders in kills, digs and aces.

“Skill-wise, she’s just so talented and it’s her dedication to practicing, to the sport,” Peerboom-Vanderbroek said. “She’s playing non-stop year-round, trying to get touches and trying to improve. She doesn't want to be mediocre, she wants to be great, and she has a very high expectation for herself.”

Chatfield is taking all of the preseason hype in stride.

“Volleyball is still a game and what I love to do, so I don’t feel a ton of external pressure,” she said. “I’m just having fun with it and setting these goals for myself. If I achieve them then that’s awesome, but if I don’t then it gives me something to work harder for in the future.”

Chatfield had already eclipsed 1,000 career digs, and Tuesday night against West Catholic she reached 1,500 career kills.

“I came into my senior year with a lot of goals,” Chatfield said. “Some of these goals I already achieved and I’m just adding layers onto them, but for me it’s more of a team sport than an individual sport so I really want to focus on what my team has done for me and things that have allowed me to get where I am.”

Chatfield’s competitiveness can be attributed to her family background.

“We’ve always been super competitive, and that competitive edge in me just always wants me to be the best and make my teammates better,” Chatfield said.

The Wildcats, who shared the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title last year with Caledonia, have opened the season with eight wins over their first nine matches.

“They’ve been playing well, and we are just figuring out what we are going to do with our lineup and trying to solidify that before conference starts because we have a lot of options,” Peerboom-Vanderbroek said. “A lot of our players are just so versatile and they can play multiple positions. We are just trying to figure out what is the best fit for our team this year, and I think that speaks to our players that they can play so many positions so well.”

Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties. 

PHOTOS (Top) Jenison’s Karis Chatfield sets up for one of her more than 1,000 career digs. (Middle) Chatfield and her teammates celebrate their District championship last season. (Top photo by Robert McCulfor Photography.)