NORWAY — Long time rivals squared off in non-conference volleyball action Tuesday, as Norway hosted Iron Mountain. The Lady Mountaineers got the best of their rivals on the evening, as they defeated Norway 3-0 (25-12, 26-24, 25-15).

“The girls played great and had a-lot of energy tonight,” said Iron Mountain coach Jeanne Newberry. “We had strong serving across the board, and Annslee Runsat basically controlled the game.”

Runsat led the Mountaineers in every statistical category except assists, with 12 of 12 serving with 4 aces; 12 digs, 11 kills and 13 successful service receives. Lulu McCash had 10 assists for Iron Mountain, while Bella Rosenthal added 7 kills.

Leah Larsen, who was 11 of 12 serving, had a great defensive game as well, Newberry noted.

“Tonight we struggled with fundamentals. Iron Mountain did a good job tipping and caught us on our heels quite a few times,” said Norway coach Erica Harnden. “Kasse Kay had a good run on serving in the second game but we couldn’t keep the momentum going.”

Harnden also noted that the match was a first for the team to wear masks throughout the game, as per the MHSAA rule, which was implemented on Friday. “The girls had never even practiced in them before, but we will continue to adjust and move forward,” Harnden said.

Newberry added “We focused on positioning hitting tonight, and the girls did well with it. I was pleased in the results and their progress with that.”

Newberry also pointed to Norway’s Olivia Stanchina as a very strong middle hitter for the Lady Knights.

Iron Mountain returns home to face West PAC Conference powerhouse Calumet on Thursday for their home opener. Norway travels to Kingsford on the same night for non-conference action. No spectators will be allowed at the Knights match at Kingsford Thursday evening.