With the win, they move on to the district semifinals Wednesday against Hancock.

“This was a team win,” noted L’Anse coach Brooklyn Fish. “The girls worked well together. Communication was key.”

She added that their team effort started in the first set. With Brooklyn Dompier at the service line, the Purple Hornets pushed out to a 7-1 lead.

While the Panthers were able to get that within two points at 16-18 with Ellie Kuntze on the line, it would not be enough to catch their opponent. The Purple Hornets won the race to 25 with Mylee Londo on the line keeping the Panthers at 18.

Chassell’s Elli Kuntze swings at a serve during a match quarterfinal match against L’Anse in the MHSAA Division 4 District 98 tournament at the Ed Helakoski Gym in Chassell. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

Despite brief 3-2 and 5-3 leads to start the second, the Chassell girls could not put together a bigger lead. After a 5-5 knot, the Purple Hornets took a commanding 16-9 lead.

They played strong defense and stayed one step ahead of their opponent. Londo was again on the line for the winning serve, putting the Purple Hornets ahead 2-0.

“I liked our defense,” added Fish. “We did a lot better at blocking the ball, and the energy was there.”

The third set looked a lot like the first. With Haley Dosmann at the line for L’Anse, the Purple Hornets jumped out to a 7-2 lead. That morphed into a 17-7 lead and looked like the Purple Hornets were going to cruise to an easy match win.

However, the Panthers were not giving up. With Kuntze again serving it up, they came back to tie this one at 18-18. They even took brief leads at 19-18 and 20-18.

Momentum, though, was short lived. After the Purple Hornets tied it at 20-20, they were the first to 25 and kept the Panthers at 23.

Despite the loss, Chassell coach Kim Aho had no complaints.

“I was proud of the girls tonight,” she said. “They didn’t give up and they battled till the end.”

She added that Monday night’s effort was indicative of a good season.

“The biggest improvement this team made from a year ago is their competition level that they bring to each game. It has been a fun season with a great group of girls.”

UP NEXT

The Purple Hornets will be in Hancock Wednesday night to face the Bulldogs at 6 p.m. for a MHSAA Division 4 District 98 semifinal matchup.