The Lake Linden-Hubbell volleyball team is all smiles after winning the MHSAA Division 4 District 98 title Friday over Baraga in Lake Linden. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

LAKE LINDEN — The Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes and the Baraga Vikings are no strangers on the volleyball court. Thus their meeting on Friday in Lake Linden to decide the MHSAA Division 4 District 98 champion had a familiar rhythm and ultimately a similar outcome. The Lakes defeated the Vikings in three straight, 25-22, 25-22 and 25-16.

With the district title, the Lakes will face Crystal Falls Forest Park in a regional matchup on Tuesday at Ewen-Trout Creek at 7 p.m.

“Consistency was the name of the game for us,” said Lakes coach Joslynn Perala. “We controlled the ball well. Our passing was stellar, and we were scrappy.”

Both coach Perala and Vikings coach Corey Pietila noted the close style of play in both matches this season.

“Like tonight, our win earlier in the season was three close, tight sets,” said Perala. “They (Baraga) are a very good team.”

However, the Lakes proved to be better, and that was evident in an opening set win.

Set two started out with ties at four, six, seven and eight. Then, with the Vikings’ Megan Mayo on the line, Baraga (14-5) took their first lead at 13-10, and then they pushed that to 15-11 with Mia Coronado serving. However, four points wouldn’t be enough.

Big kills by Maddie Buschell and Abi Codere changed the momentum back to the Lake Linden side of the net. Both Buschell and Codere led the team in kills with 11 and 10 respectively. This one was soon tied at 17 and 20 and the race to 25 was on. An ace by the Lakes Amy Mahrley made it a 22-21 game, and the Lakes sailed to a set victory.

“Sets one and two were our best,” said Pietila. “We adjusted well.

We would win points, but we could not find out footing and continue to score points.”

She added that there was perhaps some fatigue to factor in as a back-and-forth first and second sets turned into a weary third.

With Lake Linden’s Becca Lyons serving at the start of the third, the Lakes sailed out to a 9-3 lead. While the Vikings put together a small run together with Jaycee Larson serving, cutting the lead down to two, 10-8, that is as close as they got.

Payton Goldsworthy moved the score to a 17-14 lead for the Lakes, and Lyons served and sealed the victory.

Despite the loss, Pietila says that her team has no reason to hang their heads.

“It was a good season,” she said. “These girls worked hard night in and night out.