Hancock sweeps Gwinn in districts
Trending
HANCOCK -- If ever there was a time when a high school sports team would want to be preforming at their best level, it would be probably be in the playoffs.
The Hancock Bulldogs volleyball team did just that on Wednesday night as they defeated the Gwinn Modeltowners in three sets in MHSSA Division 3 District 33 semifinals. The Bulldogs won by scores of 25-12, 25-11 and 25-12.
With the win, the Bulldogs will take on the Calumet Copper for the District 33 championship game.
"That was the best the girls have played all season," said Bulldogs' head coach Heather L'Esperance. "This was a team effort. Everybody got to play tonight, and everybody did their job."
From the first serve to the last volley, Hancock put together an aggressive attack giving Gwinn very little to work with. In the first set, the Bulldogs marched out to a 10-3 lead. Back-to-back kills by Hancock's Kalli Chynoweth made it 15-9. Add to that a service run of six by her, and the Bulldogs would close the opener out with a 25-12 tilt.
An on-the-court injury to Gwinn senior Tori Paquin in the first did not help the Modeltowners' cause as the game moved into the second.
"She is definitely one of our leaders," said Modeltowners head coach Kandel Ahola. "Our starting six really play well together. So, I knew it was going to be tough as it was going to throw the rest of the girls off."
With Isabella Hebert at the line at the start of the second set, the Bulldogs took an 11-2 lead. The Modeltowners struggled with clean hits and had too many errors. In contrast, Hancock was firing on all cylinders whether it was a good ball or not coming over the net. Hancock took the second set 25-11.
"Even when when did not have that perfect pass, we were able to run our offense," L'Esperance said. "We played a fast offense tonight, and we weren't afraid to swing. Also, we varied our shots. Finding those holes and weak spots across the net was important tonight."
The third looked a lot like the second. This time it was the Bulldogs' Kami Klein who put up an impressive service run of eight to make a 10-1 lead. Klein would lead the Bulldogs with four aces on the night. She and her team closed this final set with a 25-12 victory.
As the Modeltowners headed to the locker room, Ahola said this season-ending loss was a tough one, but not all was lost.
"It was a great season," she said. "The girls work hard all year and it was good to see their progress."
Calumet sweeps Ishpeming
The Copper Kings advanced to the Division 3 District 33 finals after sweeping the Hematites.
Calumet won by scores of 25-5, 25-9 and 25-10.
Marybeth Halonen had six aces and four kills for Calumet. Lizzie Torola had four aces and six kills. Helen Beiring had 12 kills.