CALUMET — While the Calumet Copper Kings volleyball team is in a familiar spot this week, they are hoping for a much better outcome. A year ago, the team was making their way through the MHSAA postseason tournament, and were just days away from facing the Beaverton Beavers in quarterfinal play, when COVID-19 shut down high school sports for nearly two months. When games started up again in January 2021, the Copper Kings were not the same and went down to defeat against the Beavers in straight sets.

Tuesday, the Calumet squad (32-5-1 overall) is once again in a quarterfinal game, and this time momentum is on their side. They will face the McBain Ramblers (35-4-1 overall) at 6 p.m. in Grayling. A win against McBain would put the Copper Kings in the MHSAA Division 3 Final Four slated for Nov. 19 and 20 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.

“Last year was a huge disappointment for our girls,” said Calumet head coach Kate Bonacorsi. “Our seniors really want it this year.”

Interestingly, these two teams are no strangers. They met very early on in the season at a tournament in Cadillac. The Copper Kings won that one in two close sets.

After winning the WestPAC, the Copper Kings downed the Hancock Bulldogs in straight sets for the district title. They then defeated Iron Mountain (3-0) and Elk River (3-0) to earn the regional title.

“Our serve receive was amazing,” said Bonacorsi after the Elk River win. “Everyone stepped up and brought a lot of focus and energy. It felt like we were in control of the match from start to finish.”

The Ramblers will compete in their first quarterfinal since 2009. Interestingly, it was Calumet whom they defeated 3-1 that year on their road to the state semifinals. This year McBain went undefeated to win the Highland Conference. They then downed Lake City (3-0) for the district title and Beaverton for the regional win last week. In the Beaverton game, the Ramblers were down 20-16 in the third set, before posting a nine-point run to win the match and the regional title. Calumet’s Bonacorsi knows they her team has their work cut out.

“We need to continue to do what we’ve been doing all year to get us here,” she said. “Our keys to victory are strong service, serve receive, intensity and aggressive play. I know my girls have it in them.”