Houghton won the first set, 28-26. Hancock took the second, 25-23, to even things up. The Gremlins took the third and fourth sets, 26-24 and 25-21, respectively.

The close set scores tell the story as the games were back and forth with some fantastic volleys, big kills and diving digs. Points did not come easy on either side of the net.

Gremlins’ coach Blaire Zenner summed up the victory best.

“We won this one with sheer grit,” she said. “Finding the holes and getting them (Hancock) out of system was key.”

Houghton’s Laney Johnson (center) prepares to bump the ball Thursday in their game against Hancock at the Houghton gym. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

Set one opened with a 4-4 tie, but the Gremlins went on a 7-1 run, quickly getting to a lead of 15-6. They put the Bulldogs on the defensive, and Hancock struggled at the service line.

The Bulldogs were often one and done until until Isabella Hebert stepped up to the line. She posted a five-point run to tie it at 18. From there, the race toward 25 began in earnest.

The set was knotted at 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26, but in the end, Houghton earned two in a row and a 28-26 win.

Hancock bounced back from the tough first set with a better showing from the start in the second. The Bulldogs pulled out to a 11-3 lead and never looked back. “The second set was our best,” said coach Heather Haataja.

Emily Kilpela put together a run of four to make it 16-10. Then Kaisa Salani put down the hammer with a kill to make it 18-11. She led the Bulldogs with 14 kills on the night and also led the team on the floor in other ways.

“She is all over place,” said Haataja. “Kaisa is a team leader. She is smart on offense and moves the ball well.”

The third set looked a lot like the first with ties early on at six and nine and again at the end at 23 and 24.

Zenner noted the strong play of her senior striker Stella Wickstrom as being key in this 26-24 win.

“She was very aggressive at the net,” said Zenner. “She was solid all around.”

Wickstrom had 12 kills and four aces. She was second to Bryn Arko, who led the Gremlins with 13.

Down 2-1 in the match, the Bulldogs had their work cut out for themselves in the fourth set. A slow start kept them from evening the match again.

The Gremlins pushed their way to 14-4 lead by playing focused volleyball, and it was not looking good for the Bulldogs as they were one and done at the line.

However, a mid-set run of six points by the Bulldogs’ Ella Storm put Hancock within two at 18-20, but that was as close as it got. The Gremlins closed it out at 25-21 and hoisted high the Copper Spike with mob of adoring fans.

Despite the loss, Haataja was quite please with her girls’ effort.

“They worked their tails off,” she said. “We covered the floor well. We need to fine-tune our defense and communicate better, and I think we are going to get them next week.”

The two teams will meet again on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 6:30 p.m. for a conference matchup at Hancock.