CHEBOYGAN – The Cheboygan Chiefs went down swinging.
Taking on one of the best opponents they’ve faced all season, the Chiefs threw just about everything at the Ogemaw Heights Falcons.
But the Falcons were simply too much for the Chiefs as they captured a 3-1 victory (25-9, 12-25, 25-20, 25-19) in an entertaining MHSAA Division 2 district volleyball final at Cheboygan on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Here’s some takeaways from the final.
Chiefs give it everything until the end
After losing the opening set by a whopping margin, things didn’t look too good for the Chiefs (29-7-3), who had to find a way to slow down Ogemaw’s attackers. Quickly, the Chiefs seized momentum behind a key service run from senior Olivia Patrick, while the hitting led by senior Tessa Lake and sophomore Diem Schley allowed the Chiefs to build an 18-10 lead. Defensively, senior Presley Chamberlain and Patrick kept multiple points alive for the Chiefs, who evened the match at one-apiece.
Even though it didn’t end up going Cheboygan’s way later in the match, coach Jordan Barrette lauded her team for punching back and keeping their chances for a title alive.
“Ogemaw is solid,” Barrette said. “I’m extremely impressed with how my girls fought. Honestly, they have nothing to be disappointed about. Their play was phenomenal, and tonight wasn’t in our favor. They fought for every point right up until the end.”
Delivering another superb attacking game for the Chiefs was Schley, who finished with 14 kills and three digs, while senior setter Makaela Steiner tallied 30 assists, five kills and 11 digs, Lake – who reached 500 career kills during Wednesday’s district semifinal victory over Grayling – added five kills and 10 digs, Patrick had six kills, four aces and six digs, Chamberlain finished with 22 digs, and senior Abi Babcock chipped in with four kills and seven digs. Maddie Long (four kills, three digs) and Sophia Naden (two kills, six digs) rounded out Cheboygan.
Evans, Falcons end 11-year district drought
After being defeated resoundingly in the second set, the Falcons (28-6-2) knew they had to regroup quickly as they awaited the third set during a timeout.
Thankfully for the Falcons, they reverted to their play in the first, which featured dominant attacking from junior Aubrey Evans, sophomore Kendel Morris and senior Teagen Agren, who overpowered the Chiefs at different points in the match.
Leading the way in a fourth-set comeback was Evans, who delivered several kills to help Ogemaw overcome a five-point deficit and take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Down the stretch, the attacking play of Evans was too much for Cheboygan’s defense.
When it was over, Evans and her teammates celebrated after winning the program’s first district championship since 2014.
“It feels so good because I’ve been waiting three years for this moment,” Evans said. “We’ve been so close all my years, I feel like, but now it’s finally happened. Our team is just very good. I love our team so much. There’s so much connection with our team. I feel like everyone’s just friends.”
Evans finished with a game-high 20 kills to spearhead the Falcons, who received 13 kills from Morris, 12 kills and two blocks from Agren, 40 assists from Kenna Wren, and 21 digs from Macie Munson.
The Falcons face Kingsford (22-2-0) in a 6 p.m. regional semifinal at Newberry on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
A special, successful group
There’s no shame in going down in a district final, especially when it’s against an elite opponent. But despite Thursday’s loss, Barrette had a lot to be proud of with her team, which captured 29 victories, finished second in the Northern Shores Conference, won two weekend tournament titles, and made an appearance in a district final for the first time in three years, all this fall.
The hard part will be saying goodbye to an excellent senior class – Makaela Steiner, Presley Chamberlain, Tessa Lake, Olivia Patrick, Abi Babcock and Kyleigh Burt – which led admirably during a terrific campaign.
“I got to watch them grow over the last few years, and the athletes that they are and the individuals that they are – they’re leaders,” Barrette said of her seniors. “They’re outstanding athletes, but they are going to be outstanding people as they grow up, and they proved that right here. They’ll fight for everything.”
Stats from Cheboygan’s win over Grayling: Tessa Lake (10 kills, 13 digs), Diem Schley (10 kills, four digs), Makaela Steiner (six kills, 25 digs), Olivia Patrick (three kills, nine digs), Abi Babcock (three kills, eight digs), Kyleigh Burt (three kills, three digs), Presley Chamberlain (14 digs, one kill), Mackenzie Stockman (seven 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: Evans, Ogemaw Heights top Cheboygan to earn first volleyball district title since 2014
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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