Saints, Bulldogs Fall in Class C Volleyball Districts
By David Latva

St. Ignace seniors who played in their final volleyball game at districts Saturday, November 3 include (front, from left) Alyssa Pechta, Jessica Massaway, Stacee Schnicke; (back) Chelsea Bosley, Caysey Brown, Ashley Neelis, and Jodi Langstaff.

The St. Ignace Saints played with determination during the Class C District 93 volleyball tournament, defeating Newberry in the semifinals before falling to Inland Lakes in the title match Saturday, November 3, at Manistique.

The Saints downed the Newberry Indians (25-22, 22-25, 25-12, and 25-21) in the semifinals, but fell to the Inland Lakes Bulldogs (19-25, 27-25, 16-25, and 23-25).

Semifinal Match

In the first two matches, against Newberry, the teams battled to identical scores (25-22), each splitting a win, with the Saints winning the first and the Indians the second.

The Saints took control in the match with a 13-point win in the third game and, in the fourth and deciding game, the teams played to a 19-19 score. St. Ignace answered with three points for a 22-19 lead, but Newberry scored two points to cut the lead to 22-21 before the Saints scored the final three points and advanced to the championship match.

Rudyard players Chelsea Mesnard (9), Amaris Dolly (18), Ally Markstrom (1), and Erin Watson (7) prepare to receive the ball against Inland Lakes.

Championship Match

Inland Lakes defeated St. Ignace 25-19 in the first game of the championship match.

The Saints answered with a 27- 25 win in the second game that included 17 ties, as the largest lead by either team was two points.

In the third game, the Bulldogs opened with a 7-3 lead and did not allow the Saints to get any closer, as Inland Lakes won by nine.

St. Ignace needed to win game four to send the championship into the fifth and deciding game. The game was tied five times, with the last at 17-17, but the Bulldogs outscored the Saints 7-3 for a 24-20 advantage. St. Ignace scored three unanswered points to cut the margin to 24-23 before Inland Lakes scored the final point to claim the district title.

"I was proud of the way the girls played in the districts and during the season," said Saints Head Coach Gracie Marshall.

Saints overall stats: Ashley Neelis, 44 points, four aces, 34 attacks, 13 tips, two sets; Alyssa Pechta, 33 points, two aces, 32 attacks, 20 tips, 12 digs, five sets, five kills; Marcie Rickley, 25 points, one ace, 23 tips, 22 attacks, 18 digs, 11 blocks, five sets; Kali Jo Marshall, 30 points, 68 sets, nine tips, three attacks, one dig; Jessica Massaway, 19 points, three aces, 25 digs, two tips; Chelsea Bosley, 13 points, 25 attacks, 24 tips; Caysey Brown, 12 points, one ace, 51 sets, three tips; Stacee Schnicke, 19 attacks, 13 digs, seven tops, one block; Amanda Coveyou, one point, 23 attacks, 10 blocks, three tips, one dig; Dana Schieding, 15 digs, two attacks; Molly Therrian, 10 digs; Alyssa Rickley, five attacks, three sets; Anna Krause, two digs; Katie Garries, two digs.

Seniors playing in their final game were Chelsea Bosley, Caysey Brown, Jessica Massaway, Ashley Neelis, Alyssa Pechta, Stacee Schnicke, and Jodi Langstaff.

"The seniors played hard during their career and this season, and they will be missed," said Marshall.

Rudyard Falls in Districts

Semifinals

Rudyard's volleyball team fell to Inland Lakes (13-25, 26-24, 23-25, and 12-25) in the battle of the two Bulldogs teams during the Class C districts semifinals at Manistique Saturday, November 3.

"I was disappointed in the first match, but very proud of the way the girls came back in the next two game," said Bulldogs Head Coach Ellen Perry. "The girls played hard and never quit, and I had a great time with this group of girls."

In the first game, Inland Lakes took an 11-5 lead and increased the margin to 24-12 with a 6-0 run before posting the win.

Inland Lakes led 11-6 in the second game, but Rudyard stormed back to take an 18-13 advantage with a 12-2 offensive run. Inland Lakes tied the game at 18-18 and took a 20-18 lead before the teams exchanged points, until Rudyard outscored Inland Lakes 3-1 to close out the win.

The teams battled in the third game with 10 ties before Inland Lakes took control for a two-point win and, in the fourth and deciding game, Inland Lakes led 11-2 and went on to post a 13-point win, advancing to the championship game.

Rudyard stats: Emily Jeffreys, 10 kills; Katia Locke, 18 assists, 100% serving; Ally Markstrom and Erin Watson, 100% serving; Chelsea Mesnard and Betsy Wileman, four kills.

Seniors playing in their final game were Ally Markstrom, Chelsea Mesnard, Brittany Gibson, Destiny Chonios, and Cara VanDusen.