The Baraga Vikings celebrate a point well earned on Thursday in a match against Wakefield-Marensico at the Baraga High School gym. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

BARAGA — The Baraga Vikings opened their regular volleyball season with a 3-1 loss to the Wakefield-Marenisco Cardinals on Thursday. The Cardinals won the first, second, and fourth sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-19) while the Vikings took the third (25-22).

On paper, one would think that a victory in the third set would be the Vikings’ best set, coach Corey Pietila had other thoughts however.

“Honestly, we needed to go through sets one and two and learn from our mistakes,” she stated. “We were slow on our feet and didn’t communicate.”

Wakefield-Marenisco started the first set with an ace off the serve of Rylee Holm. That set the tone for this one. The Cardinals moved out to a 7-3 lead and never looked back. They took advantage of a lot of mistakes and mishits by a young Baraga squad.

The second set was much the same. Holm again led an opening service charge that put the Cardinals up 6-0 before the Vikings could get on the boards. This one ended 25-16.

However, the Vikings avoided the sweep with a strong comeback in the third. With Megan Mayo at the line to open, they pushed out to a 5-0 lead – their first lead of the match. Despite ties at nine, 10, 20 and 21, the Vikings were able to stay afloat and keep a lead and an eventual 25-22 win.

“We are super young, but I liked how we played for an opener,” Pietila added.

While momentum carried Baraga into the fourth set with an opening 3-0 lead, it could not be sustained. The Cardinals tied it at 10 and again at 13. That led to an eventual three-point lead as Kenly Anderson held the service line for her squad. The Cardinals won this one 25-19.

Junior Noelle Grace led Wakefield-Marenisco with 18 kills. Classmate Emma Choronzy followed with 11. She also led the team in aces with four.

Cardinals’ coach Lisa Fetcher was pleased with her team’s performance. She had only one bench player due to some untimely injuries.

“However, the girls adjusted well today,” she said. “We made do. The girls hustled and battled. It was good to see.”