Copper Kings sweep their way to semifinals
Calumet’s Jackie Kiilunen spikes the ball for a point during Calumet’s quarterfinal win over McBain Tuesday in Gaylord. (Ben Murphy/For the Gazette)
The Calumet volleyball team poses after defeating McBain in the state quarterfinals in Gaylord Tuesday. (Levi Erkkila/For the Gazette)
Calumet’s Jackie Kiilunen spikes the ball for a point during Calumet’s quarterfinal win over McBain Tuesday in Gaylord. (Ben Murphy/For the Gazette)
The Calumet volleyball team poses after defeating McBain in the state quarterfinals in Gaylord Tuesday. (Levi Erkkila/For the Gazette)
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GAYLORD -- There was intense playoff energy from the fans and the players in Gaylord Tuesday night. The amped-up Calumet volleyball team was chomping at the bit for revenge against the McBain Ramblers, a state quarter-final rematch. The Kings fell to the Ramblers in five sets last year.
Calumet came with a vengeance and punched their ticket to the state semifinals with a sweep over McBain, 25-22, 25-14, and 27-25.
"I am so proud of the girls; they did such a great job," said Calumet coach Kate Bonacorsi. "I think mentally they were really focused, and they were so determined. They executed the game plan beautifully. This win is so great for our program."
The Copper Kings were undefeated in regular and postseason play entering the game.
"We set lofty goals at the start of the season," Bonacorsi said. "Now it feels like those goals are within reach."
The Copper Kings trailed many times in the match but always managed to climb back into the game.
"They showed a lot of mental toughness, perseverance, and tenacity, especially in the third set," said Bonacorsi. "They really understood the urgency and the importance of fighting for every point."
The Copper Kings had 11 team blocks that helped propel them to victory.
"Their strength is in the middle; both of their middles are all-state players," Bonacorsi said. "A lot of the film that we watched, the opposing team just had a single block up against those girls, so we double-blocked them, and that made a big difference."
Helen Beiring had 17 kills for the Copper Kings, Jackie Kiilunen scored eight, and Allison Bjorn added six.
McBain took a 3-2 lead early in the first set. Calumet won four out of the following five rallies to take a 6-4 advantage. The teams traded points, and after 12 more serves, Calumet led 12-10.
The Ramblers went on a small 4-1 run for a 14-13 lead. The rest of the set was a dogfight; both sides were even at 15, 17, and 19. The Copper Kings scored six to the Ramblers' three to finish the first, giving them the opening set win.
Calumet scored four straight to start the second. The Copper Kings led 8-5 and then 10-6 before McBain cut it to a two-point game, 12-10. They then pulled away over the next eight serves by winning seven of them, taking control of the set, 19-11. Calumet wasted little time and closed out the second set strong.
Facing elimination, the Ramblers came out hard and took a 5-3 advantage. Both teams were locked at eight and then 13. The Copper Kings were down 17-14 and battled to tie it. Once again, down by three, 20-17, Calumet dug deep to bring the set level. McBain had an opportunity to send the match to the fourth frame with two set-point attempts, but Calumet came up clutch and tied it 24-24. The game was deadlocked at 25-25 before the Kings scored two and ended the McBain season.
Calumet moves on to the semifinals in Battle Creek. They will face Kalamazoo Christian in Kellogg Arena Friday at 2 p.m.