PELLSTON — Nine days prior, the Pellston volleyball team exorcised its Onaway demons in Ski Valley play.
On Thursday, Oct. 2, it had a similar type of night as it avenged its longtime struggles against Inland Lakes by earning a 3-0 victory over the Bulldogs (25-17, 25-23, 25-20) at home.
Lanie Irwin’s 12 kills and 15 digs fueled the Hornets (12-11-5, 4-2 Ski Valley Conference), who were also led by 14 digs, seven kills and two aces from Breanna Willis, five kills from Makenna Cooley, and five aces and seven digs from Ella Klungle. Pellston also received contributions from Allie Cameron (three kills, four digs), Adalynn Hendershot (three kills), Alivia Pelaccio (eight digs, one kill), Mackenzie Jutson (seven digs, one kill) and Sophia Nicholls (three aces, two digs).
Prior to the game, Willis was recognized for recently reaching 1,500 career assists.
“It really feels good to reach it, it’s something I’ve been thinking about getting for a while,” Willis said. “Especially since I was out most of my junior season (because of an injury), I knew coming into my senior season it was one of my goals. It means a lot to me since it’s something I have been working towards since my freshman year.”
Her coach was also proud of her achievement.
“I’m so excited for Bre that she reached this milestone,” Pellston coach Brooke Groff said. “She works hard to put the ball in the perfect spot for her hitters and is willing to cover so much of the floor to do so.”
Pellston plays at Mancelona on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
The Bulldogs (10-10, 3-3) were led by 18 assists, 14 digs and four kills from Addison Byrne, while Jenna Stubbs tallied six kills, eight digs, three assists and three blocks, and Myla Thompson added six kills and two digs.
“We only had one hitter that hit a positive hitting percentage,” Inland Lakes coach Nicole Moore said. “The errors held us back from gaining momentum and winning points.”
In a 3-0 win over Forest Area (25-8, 25-14, 25-10), Byrne finished with 13 aces, 22 assists, five kills and seven digs for the Bulldogs, who received eight kills, four aces and five digs from Chloe Robinson, eight kills and two digs from Jenna Shiel, seven kills, six digs and two aces from Thompson, and five aces, two kills and two digs from Josie Cooper.
“We had a very successful night from the service line and adjusted to their tips on the defensive end,” Moore said.
Inland Lakes hosts Onaway on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Mackinaw City takes first set, but Eagles win in 4
MACKINAW CITY – The Mackinaw City gymnasium was buzzing after the Comets took the first set of their volleyball clash with Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian Academy on Thursday, Oct. 2.
But the undefeated Eagles rebounded nicely, earned wins in the last three sets, and captured a pivotal 3-1 victory over the Comets (25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 21-25).
“They are a young and very solid team,” Mackinaw City coach Jake Huffman said of the Eagles. “NMCA played very well defensively and showed why they are undefeated on the season as well as the conference. Tonight was a toe to toe, volley for volley match, and one that was very competitive.”
Alaina Brown’s 18 kills and 10 digs led the Comets (7-9-2, 4-2 Northern Lakes Conference), who received 10 kills, 15 digs and three aces from Kerry-Ann Ming, 14 digs, 10 assists and six kills from Rian Esper, seven kills, eight digs and three aces from Alaia Mendez, and 18 assists, 11 digs and two kills from Ella Kruczynski.
“I give the (NMCA coach Josh Ferraiuolo) a ton of credit with the work he has done with his squad,” Huffman said. “We will have a week to get ourselves ready for our conference tournament and hopefully position ourselves to compete for the tournament championship. I was proud of how well we played defensively tonight and how well we passed.”
Rounding out the Comets were Julia Short (two kills, two aces, eight digs), Emily Kruczynski (five digs) and Poppy Wallace (kill).
Mackinaw City heads to the Mackinac Island tournament on Saturday.
The Eagles (9-0-0) were led by Shanna Ferraiuolo, who had nine kills and 20 digs, while Isabel Hoffmeyer led the team defensively with 39 digs, and Ariel Tucker added 33 digs.
“I was very happy to get the win against a premier NLC opponent,” NMCA coach Josh Ferraiuolo said. “I wasn’t thrilled with our offense, but true to form, our defense carried us all night. Proud of the effort and year these girls are having. Hopefully we can improve in our weaknesses to keep up winning.”
Other NMCA contributors included Lauren Ferraiuolo (four kills, 11 digs, two blocks), Otillia Styburski (five aces, four blocks, two kills), and Ellie Schepperley (two aces, 16 digs).
NMCA can wrap up an unbeaten league season if they top Boyne Falls at home on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Onaway drops 3-1 match to JoBurg
ONAWAY – The Onaway volleyball team dropped a 3-1 contest to Johannesburg-Lewiston (22-25, 20-25, 26-24, 13-25) at home on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Ella Lintz finished with 12 kills and 23 digs for the Cardinals (12-11-5, 2-3 Ski Valley Conference), who received 10 kills, 18 digs and three blocks from Amya Janusky, seven kills and 12 digs from Carley Karsten, and 24 assists, 15 digs and three kills from Brooklyn Boughner.
“We obviously had too many errors,” Onaway coach Steve Watson said. “We definitely served well overall as a team, so that was good, but so did our opponent, and they played well.”
Rounding out the Cardinals were Layla Box (16 digs), Marley Szymoniak (seven digs), Kaylee Schopp (two kills) and Cassidy Karsten (two digs).
Onaway travels to Inland Lakes on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
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: Pellston volleyball takes down Inland Lakes, Mackinaw City falls to Burt Lake NMCA in 4
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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