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Gremlins advance with three-set win over Maroons

Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette Houghton’s Lissa Svoke plays a ball during a match against Menominee Monday at the Houghton Gym.

HOUGHTON — The Houghton Gremlins had a goal in mind Monday night, earn another shot at the Escanaba Eskymos in the second round of the District 33 Tournament. Standing in their way Monday night in the Houghton Gym was the Menominee Maroons.

When the dust settled, the Gremlins won 25-18, 25-23 and 25-18.

“The girls played great,” said Gremlins coach John Christianson. “I thought we executed our offense the way we wanted to in terms of how they run their defense.”

In the first set both teams came out strong. They battled to a 5-5 tie before the Gremlins pulled away thanks to a service run of five by McKenna Foster.

Deja Brule helped the Houghton cause with several strong blocks that led to points. On the night, Brule led the Gremlins with eight kills and five block kills.

Consistent play and accurate passing by the Gremlins kept the Maroons from gaining any momentum in that first set. Christianson noted that he was impressed with the play of senior Alena Sulisz.

“She is the quiet one,” he said. “She had 10 digs and six perfect passes on service receive. She is very efficient and makes good passes.”

In the second set, Menominee led for much of the time. Senior Hanna Ries kept the team at least two steps ahead of the Gremlins with a service run of seven. Senior Hannah Cole led the Maroons in kills with five.

At one point, the Maroons led 18-16. But a key swing from mid-court by the Gremlins’ Daityn Markham a few points later tied the game at 20. It also changed the momentum of the game and fired up the Gremlin fans. They would pull away to win the set.

Libero Jaycie Ruotsala was key in winning the last few points in the set as she dug out a number of balls and kept the Gremlins alive. She led Houghton with 13 digs.

The third set looked a lot like the first. The Maroons were simply no match for the Gremlins as they were inconsistent with their serves and had too many errors. However, Maroons head coach Sarah Betzinger had high praises for her girls as their season came to an end.

“They talked well, did some good hitting and played some of the best volleyball that they’ve played all year,” she said.

The Black and Orange of Houghton will face off against the Orange and Black of Escanaba on Halloween night in the Houghton Gym.

“It will be an all Halloween affair,” said Christianson. “Escanaba has a nice team. We played them in a tournament earlier this year. So it should be a lot of fun.”

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