Houghton beats rival Hancock 3-1 for Copper Spike
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HANCOCK -- Volleyball's coveted Copper Spike trophy is staying another year with the Gremlins.
The girls from Houghton defeated the Hancock Bulldogs in 3-1 on Thursday before a rowdy high school crowd in a decked out, colorful, decorated gym.
The Gremlins lost the first set 26-24 and won the next three 23-25, 19-25, 24-26. Thursday was the Gremlins' 11th Copper Spike victory in 12 years.
This was not a easy win for the Gremlins. Scores were close and volleys were long. A big lead was five points and ties were the norm rather than the exception.
"We had to earn this one," said first-year, Gremlins' head coach Blaire Zenner. "These girls did not give up and that has been a trend for us lately. These girls battle and never give up."
Hancock's best set was the first. After Kaisa Salani served up an ace to open the match, the two teams tied point for point from four to a score of 12-12. While the Bulldogs pulled out to a 14-12 lead, that quickly changed hands with a 21-17 Gremlins tilt. With Hancock's Kaydence Kilpela on the line, she was able to close the gap to 22-24 and eventually 24-24. The Bulldogs sealed the deal at 26-24.
"That was our best set," said Gremlins' head coach Heather L'Esperance. "While we were down several points, we were able to come back and win it by playing smart and scrappy volleyball."
The Bulldogs carried that winning momentum into the second set take a 15-12 lead mid way through the set. A miss serve however allowed the Gremlins to tie it at 17 and put up a run of three. That turned into a 25-23 win for Houghton.
The Gremlins won the third set with a lot of strategy. They kept the Bulldogs guessing on where the ball was coming over the net. While Stella Wickstrom led the Gremlins with 15 kills and Olivia Merriman followed with nine, the Gremlins' use of the tip, hit just over the reach of defenders, proved to be an equally strong point grabber for Houghton.
"We go beat on their tip too many times," L'Esperance said. "My girls need to move their feet if they want to win a volleyball game."
It was do or die for the Bulldogs headed into the fourth set.
Kilpela again proved to be key as she pushed Hancock to a 14-8 lead. However, a Gremlins ace here and a misplayed Bulldog ball there made it a 17-17 tie. That would play into 24-24 tie several long volley's later and a tight two point 26-24 win for the Gremlins.
"I thought we had resilience," Zenner said. "We came out ready to go every set. Even through the lulls we were able to come out on top at the end."