The Flivvers nearly served the Mountaineers out of the gym in the first set, beginning with their first server Maddie Kreider. The sophomore ripped three aces to spark Kingsford to a quick 7-1 lead, forcing Iron Mountain coach Jeanne Newberry to burn her first timeout.

“One of the biggest things our coach said tonight was to focus on our serves to get them out of position so that we can run our offense,” said Kreider, referring to her mother and coach Jaclynn. “I think serving is a really big key thing because that puts them back on their toes in order to get the ball back on our side.”

“Their serving was right on tonight,” Newberry said of the Flivvers. “They played strong as far as their serving. (Maddie’s) got a good serve. She’s just a well-rounded player. She’s the threat when it comes to that team.”

In total, Kingsford smacked 17 aces with Kreider leading the way with five. Alyssa Larson and Elaina Bortolini added four each and Ellery Nash and Jenna Viau hit two apiece.

Kingsford's Laura Bracket (12) puts up a push shot. (Terry Raiche photo)

The Flivvers continued their roll throughout the first and second sets. Kingsford built a 15-5 lead in the opener, sparked by two cross-court kills from Kreider and one kill each from Viau and Laura Bracket.

Meanwhile, the Mountaineers never put a streak of points together in either of the first two sets as Kingsford pushed Iron Mountain to the brink in quick fashion.

“Our girls were just in control the whole time,” Coach Kreider said of the first two sets. “I think we served it well to get them out of system, we were disciplined with our defense and we were digging up balls.

“We just seemed to be really focused and the intensity was high. I was just proud of the way they played in those first two sets.”

The Mountaineers showed early in the third set that they were unwilling to go quietly. Senior middle Chloe Maycroft began the set with an emphatic kill as Iron Mountain finally strung some points together to take a 4-1 lead. While Kingsford scored the next four points, the Mountaineers reestablished their momentum to grab a 15-11 edge and force Kingsford’s first timeout of the evening.

Iron Mountain’s Emily Copley (11) digs the ball Tuesday at Kingsford while Shyanne Pearce (5) and Leah Winch (4) look on. (Terry Raiche photo)

Maycroft scored points on a push and a block and Ellison Powell added a kill to spark the run.

“They went out and wanted to win that game,” Newberry said of her players. “Sometimes, that’s all it takes. They were more aggressive and more of the points went their way. And we had fewer unforced errors in that set compared to the first two.”

Maddie Kreider, who plays club volleyball in Green Bay, knew from her vast experience on the court what happened from the Kingsford side of the net.

“I think we were too comfortable with our big leads in the first two sets, which got us on our heels and they kind of brought up their momentum,” Kreider said.

True, but the Mountaineers clearly upped their play. Junior Emily Copley kicked into high gear late in the set with a pair of kills, including one that broke through the Kingsford block to clinch the set for her team and extend the match to a fourth.

The Flivvers seemed to get the message and gathered themselves quickly in the fourth. Kreider started things with a tip kill and Viau added her own kill as Kingsford grabbed a 4-0 lead out of the gate.

However, the Mountaineers didn’t let the Flivvers avalanche them in the fourth. Copley smacked a kill and added a block and Leah Winch fired an ace to keep Iron Mountain within 9-8.

Still, Kingsford responded with a 9-4 surge to take a six-point lead, led by three kills from Kreider and a couple of quick-set kills from fellow sophomore Kailey Sundquist. The Kreider-Sundquist connection continued for the remainder of the match as Sundquist finished with eight kills.

“Once Kaylie got involved, especially in set four, they didn’t really have an answer for that,” Coach Kreider said. “I said, ‘Mad, keep going back to that because they don’t really have a way to stop that right now.’

“The tempo is tricky (on quick sets), so when we got the passes and we were able to run it, it was huge. I felt that it was something that really turned the tables for us in the fourth set.”

Larson then took over with her serving, recording two aces to push the score to 23-17. Kreider then smacked her 20th kill of the night and Iron Mountain made a passing error to give Kingsford the victory.

Afterward, Newberry praised the fight in her girls.

“I took out of it that they didn’t quit,” she said. “I’m proud of them. A lot of it was because it was an Iron Mountain-Kingsford game and (our girls) wanted that third set and they wanted a fifth game. Their mentality was not to quit, the game is not over. I give them credit for that.”

Coach Kreider was asked if her team has begun to show the consistency of concentration that it needs as the season progresses to the tournament.

“We have our ups and downs,” she responded. “I really feel that we haven’t found ourselves stable yet, but it’s not as high and not as low as I’ve seen. So, I feel like we’re getting there.”