CHEBOYGAN – The Sault volleyball team had its hands full on Wednesday, but it never quit.
Taking on a well-rounded, athletic and supremely talented opponent in Ogemaw Heights, the Blue Devils did what they could to simply hang around.
For the most part, they did so in the third set, but it wasn’t enough, as they saw their season end in a 3-0 loss (12-25, 18-25, 22-25) in an MHSAA Division 2 district semifinal at Cheboygan.
“Honestly, we’ve been working on some things all year long, and the big thing is that we’re still struggling with a lot of those things because we’re young,” Sault coach Brittany Killips said. “We have two seniors, nine juniors, and we had four sophomores, so we’re learning. We just got into the Big North Conference this year, so when you switch to the Big North, the tempo changes, and we’re adjusting.”
The quality, athleticism and chemistry of Ogemaw Heights were on full display early on, as dangerous attackers like Aubrey Evans and Kendel Morris had their way against the Sault defense, which struggled in the opening set. The Blue Devils (10-17-3) played better in the second, but the Falcons retook the lead and cruised to a 2-0 advantage in the match.
“We have some good blockers, and we put some hands on their attacks, which is good because we’re improving that and double blocking all around, and that’s what we’re learning on that tempo, because that faster tempo play and those quicker sets – you don’t see a lot of that up north ,” Killips said. “We’re trying to work on getting better at defending that.”
Ashlyn Potter led the Blue Devils with four kills, 16 assists and 12 digs, while Ahnaka Oshelski recorded eight kills, Natalie Prestein added three kills and six digs, Ivy York registered 13 digs, Grace Mayer tallied three kills and two blocks, Ella Potter notched three kills and two aces, and Maddie Darling chipped in with three blocks.
It wasn’t until the third set where the Falcons faced some adversity when they trailed, but they responded nicely by improving their play, upping the tempo, and sealing the postseason win.
“The key was grittiness,” Ogemaw coach Heather Munson said. “It was something we’ve been talking about, not backing down when it gets tough.”
Evans led the Falcons with 11 kills, 13 digs and three aces, while Morris finished with 12 kills, Teagen Agren added 10 kills and two aces, Kenna Wren tallied 26 assists, Macie Munson recorded 15 digs, and Ashlyn Bolyard chipped in with three aces and six digs.
Ogemaw Heights (27-5-2) will look to win its first district title since 2014 when it travels to face Cheboygan (29-6-3) in a 6 p.m. final on Thursday.
“I think (winning a district) is in the back of everybody’s minds, but I don’t allow them to play like that,” Munson said. “It’s one bite at a time.”
Playing in their final high school match were Sault seniors Anika Siesel and Claire Chambers.
Even though the Blue Devils fell short, Killips likes where her program is headed.
“They are young, but they performed well,” Killips said. “They have a lot of potential. We’ve just got to get them to play as a team and we should be pretty successful.”
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sault volleyball season ends in district semifinal loss to impressive Ogemaw Heights
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / The Sault News
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