CHEBOYGAN – Postseason volleyball is right around the corner.
But even with the playoffs only days away, the matches to end the regular season are still significant.
On Tuesday night, one of those matches occurred as the Cheboygan Chiefs hosted the Pellston Hornets in the annual ‘Volley for a Cure’ game to support cancer awareness.
The Chiefs were on the winning end once again, earning their 25th victory of the campaign by capturing a 3-0 win over the Hornets (25-17, 25-16, 25-23).
Here’s some takeaways from Tuesday’s contest.
Cheboygan’s hitters too much
What the Chiefs (25-6-3) displayed early on was dominant attacking play, led by seniors Abi Babcock and Tessa Lake as well as sophomore Diem Schley, who overwhelmed the Hornets (16-16-6) at times. The consistently solid attacking play allowed the Chiefs to build big leads in each of the opening two sets.
“They are really starting to prove it,” Cheboygan coach Jordan Barrette said of her hitters. “That’s been something they’ve worked on. They’re really picking it up and getting those points by earning them.”
Schley’s nine kills paced the Chiefs, who received four kills and three aces from Makaela Steiner, four kills and two aces from Tessa Lake, three kills and an ace from Presley Chamberlain, two kills and an ace from Kyleigh Burt, and two aces and a kill from Olivia Patrick.
On an emotional night where both teams wore pink in support of cancer awareness, Cheboygan found a way to finish off its regular season home slate with a win.
“It’s definitely emotional with it being our last (regular season) home game all together,” Cheboygan senior Makaela Steiner said. “Ending it with a win is definitely great. We switched up our rotation a lot in the third set, so it was definitely closer than it usually would’ve been, but I think the key to that was talking, doing what we needed to do with the ball, and working together.”
More Cheboygan stats will be provided when they become available.
Hornets show toughness late, but come up short
After falling behind quickly in the first two sets, the Hornets showed great fight by battling back from a big deficit to take a 23-22 lead in the third.
But right as it looked like Pellston might win the set and extend the match, the Chiefs came up with big plays and ended it all with an ace from Burt.
The Hornets received strong attacking play from seniors Lanie Irwin and Ella Klungle, while senior setter Breanna Willis was also efficient and made key plays.
“Cheboygan has a great all-around team, and they showed that tonight,” Pellston coach Brooke Groff said. “I am proud that the girls didn’t give up and kept pushing forward through the entire match. Our pink game with Cheboygan is always one of our favorite games each year, and we appreciate all the support and contributions from our school and community.”
Pellston stats will be provided when they become available.
One more district tune-up
For the Chiefs, they’re looking forward to hosting districts a week from now. But before they do, they’ll travel to Charlevoix for a quad match with the Rayders, Inland Lakes and Sault Ste. Marie.
As her Cheboygan team gets ready for districts, she feels good about their chances against what is a solid field of teams that includes Ogemaw Heights.
“We know that we’re capable of (winning districts),” Barrette said. “We’ve just got to work hard and do what we do,” Barrette said. “This group, some of them started their high school career with a district title, and they want to end with one, too. I have every intention of pushing them to get there.”
Cheboygan’s junior varsity team also picked up a victory over Pellston on Tuesday.
Cheboygan from Boyne City tournament win on Saturday, Oct. 25: Makaela Steiner (87 assists, 40 digs, 11 aces, three kills), Tessa Lake (33 kills, 41 digs, eight aces), Presley Chamberlain (43 digs, five aces, five assists), Diem Schley (30 kills, 21 digs, three aces), Abi Babcock (15 kills, 15 digs, three aces), Olivia Patrick (19 digs, 10 aces, six kills), Kyleigh Burt (seven kills, five digs).
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan volleyball takes all 3 sets from Pellston in ‘Volley for a Cure’ matchup
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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