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Manistique’s consistent serving ends season for Iron Mountain

(Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo) Iron Mountain’s Andie Ellis (25) sets the ball for teammate Annslee Runsat (18) Wednesday night versus Manistique in MHSAA Division 3 district play. The Mountaineers’ Bella Rosenthal (17) looks on.

BY MATT “SWEETS” McCARTHY

Sports Writer

IRON MOUNTAIN — An opponent with minimal flaws is a tough draw in tournament play. Iron Mountain hosted Mid-Peninsula Conference powerhouse Manistique in a Division 3 District 67 semifinal volleyball match Wednesday night, with the Emeralds defeating Iron Mountain 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-8).

Manistique had strong serving and front row play throughout the match. Iron Mountain served well, but the Emeralds’ strong communication, consistent serving and enthusiastic play kept the Lady Mountaineers on their heels.

“We practice our serving to assure consistency, inconsistent serving gives points to the other team,” said Manistique head coach Amy Nixon. “Serving is a team’s first line of offense, so we strive for all of our girls to be able to serve well.”

Set No. 1 was very see-saw to start the match, a 10-6 Manistique lead behind the serving of Madison Zellar and Nora Cunningham led to a Mountaineer timeout. The front row play of both teams was strong throughout the match, the first set the bar for each team in that area.

Iron Mountain senior McKenna Smith was very strong at the net throughout the match. “McKenna had to try to tangle with their (Manistique) No. 7 (Kayla Muth) and No. 10 (Ella Schuetter) who are both very good front row players. and No. 10 has to be 6 feet tall,” said veteran Iron Mountain head coach Jeanne Newberry. “Tonight was our best overall play at the net, as a team, for the whole season.”

The Emeralds got out to a 17-11 lead in the first set and never looked back. The second set was the most competitive of the match. There were a couple of long rallies, with tightly contested play.

With an 8-6 lead, Manistique extended their lead to 11-6. The Mountaineers clawed their way back into the set with serving runs from both Lulu McCash and Bella Rosenthal. With the score at 18-15 Emeralds, Nixon called a timeout to regroup her rattled team.

“Our girls’ confidence was very high at that point, especially when we tied the score,” Newberry said. The Emeralds extended their lead to 22-18 when Lily Verrette got the ball and served the Mountaineers back into the match again at 22-22.

“Set two was a nice comeback from set one, because we gave Manistique too many free points in set one,” Newberry said. “Our serving kept us in the first two sets, which was a strength we had all season.”

Madison Zellar, who led the Emeralds with five aces and 17 digs on the evening, served Manistique to victory in the second set.

In the final set, Manistique’s serving completely overwhelmed the host Mountaineers. The Emeralds, who are 14-1 on the season, communicated well throughout the match.

“Team chemistry is so important in the game of volleyball, if everyone is in it together, things usually don’t break down,” Nixon said. “All six players on the floor need to be in sync and we’re able to have that with each substitution. It really helps our communication be so good as well”

Nixon, whose maiden name is Senger, graduated from Kingsford in 2001. “It was nice to come back here tonight, especially because some of my family members who live here were able to come to the match tonight,” she said.

Manistique was led by Emma Jones with 14 assists. Schuetter and Muth each had 11 kills, with Muth contributing two aces as well.

Statistically, Iron Mountain was led by junior Annslee Runsat with 11 digs and nine kills. Senior Andie Ellis had 11 assists to lead the Mountaineers, with fellow senior Leah Larsen contributing seven digs.

Newberry pointed to the back row play of Verrette as excellent in the match.

With the loss, Newberry said goodbye to her seniors, “I want all of them to know that I am proud of them,” she said. “I want to thank them for their contributions to our team and program during their four years of high school.”

Manistique, who eliminated Norway on Monday night, will travel to Bark River-Harris Friday night for the District championship match, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern.

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