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Gremlins go down in 3

Daily News (Iron Mountain)/Burt Angeli Houghton’s Daityn Markham (12) goes up for a block against Kingsford’s Ali Doolittle in Friday’s MHSAA Division 2 District 33 volleyball championship.

KINGSFORD — Kingsford took control from the get-go and swept Houghton 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-18) in the MHSAA Division 2 District 33 volleyball championship Friday.

The Flivvers and highly-regarded Kingsley will meet Tuesday in the regional at Manistique.

“Never,” said Kingsford Coach Jaclynn Kreider when asked if she envisioned a sweep. “I did have a good feeling coming into tonight, but I never expected a sweep.

“To think back a couple months ago when we had our struggles, I would not have imagined this spot. I felt as the year went on we just kept getting better and peaking at the right time.”

The Flivvers rolled to a 19-11 lead in the first set.

“What we haven’t done (this season) is set the tempo that early,” said Kreider. “We’ve played that well but a lot of times it’s when we’re fighting back.

“We were able to take control right away, set the tempo and let them make mistakes.”

A Tori Kowalkowski block along with kills from Ali Doolittle and Brooke Kriegl finished off the Gremlins in the first set.

“Kingsford played beautifully,” said Houghton coach John Christianson. “They executed their game plan. They served the ball where they wanted to serve it to and we just couldn’t control.”

Maggie Strehlow, who led the Flivvers with 11 kills, nearly went into the stands for a first-set save that cleared the net for a point.

“There was a lot of those hustle plays,” Kreider said. “Those plays can make a difference.

“You knows things are going your way when you can score off of some of those.”

A five-point run to 21-10 carried Kingsford in the second set. Consecutive kills from Strehlow sparked the Flivvers. Olivia Allen had kills down the stretch for Kingsford.

“We stayed disciplined and did a good job,” Kreider said.

Back-to-back Strehlow kills put the Flivvers ahead 17-7 in the third set. The Gremlins staged a comeback to 22-18 as 6-foot-4 Deja Brule provided three kills and Casana Ryynanen fired an ace.

The Flivvers then closed out the set for the district crown.

“Kingsford has a very, very good team,” Christianson said. “We didn’t pass well at all. We didn’t keep it off the net. We didn’t keep it on our side. When that happens it makes for a very rough night.”

Katherine Erickson topped the Flivvers with 20 assists and Brooke Kriegl tallied 14 digs. Brule led the Gremlins with eight kills and Ryynanen had 12 assists.

Kingsley, which defeated Sault Ste. Marie for district honors, has been ranked in the Michigan Volleyball Coaches Association poll.

“It’s going to be a big feat for us,” Kreider said of facing Kingsley. “Our goal this postseason is all about having fun. We go out there to have fun and we’re not going to have any regrets with whatever happens.

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