Iron Mountain netters McKinlee Peterson (24) and Ashlyn Bal (3) elevate for a block against Escanaba on Monday in Mountaineer Gym. The Mountaineers lost 3-1. (Sean Chase/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Iron Mountain girls varsity volleyball team kicked off homecoming week on Monday against Escanaba in Mountaineers Gym.

Although the crowd’s energy permeated the building, it couldn’t push Iron Mountain past the Eskymos as they grabbed a 3-1 (17-25, 11-25, 27-25, 10-25) win.

“They didn’t give up,” Mountaineers coach Jeanne Newberry said. “I’m always proud of my team for not doing that. They finished the game and they finished strong. It’s hard sometimes when you look at the last set, score-wise, because you know they played so hard in that third set, they should have brought that momentum in.”

Iron Mountain senior setter Izzy Lewis was out against Escanaba meaning someone had to shoulder the offensive load.

“She’s currently my No. 1 setter,” Newberry said. “I always have three setters on the floor, so what we had today was Aylah (Hoffman) stepped up. She played an outside hitter versus a setter tonight, so a little bit of changing around. But the fourth game didn’t show what the third game did. It’s a game of momentum, we know this.”

Lewis’ absence wasn’t the only noticeable difference for the Mountaineers on the floor.

“I went with a larger front row to see how we could play that and in doing so, I got some real good hits from Aylah (Hoffman),” Newberry said. “And she was my setter in the front row. Got a couple blocks from her. Emily (Copley) is always strong in the middle.”

Despite the energy in the building, Iron Mountain fell behind early in the first set.

However, senior Emily Copely began to mount a comeback as she blocked a Escanaba spike to tie things at 13. She followed it with an ace as the Mountaineers took their first lead of the match.

Backed into a corner, the Eskymos came to life and rattled off six-straight points. They didn’t let go of the momentum as they took the first set 25-17.

It took time for Iron Mountain to find its rhythm with the lineup changes and it fell behind again early in the second set.

“Coming off of the Hancock game, Hancock had a really strong team and I thought my girls did a good job of recovering by positioning,” Newberry said. “Tonight, we ran a 5-1 from the back row, which we really haven’t practiced enough.”

Down 15-5, the Mountaineers took a timeout looking to find a way back into the set. However, it was all Eskymos as they rolled to a 25-11 victory.

Going into set three, Iron Mountain’s energy was noticeably different.

“They came out knowing that, okay we got this match as far as that set was concerned,” Newberry said. “They came out strong, they came out talking, and communication is the biggest key. The fact that we were the starting servers in that round, we made a couple good points, the momentum, everything starts.”

After finding its footing, the Mountaineers began to overwhelm Escanaba as Copley found a groove and buried a shot between the Eskymos defense.

“When they get that confidence, it’s kind of contagious, and everyone gets into it,” Newberry said.

The Eskymos weren’t done yet as they tied things at 23 a few moments later. Both teams continued to trade points as the tension rose in the building.

Finally Iron Mountain took a 26-25 lead on a bad set and the crowd erupted in cheers.

The Mountaineers closed the third set out on the next point en route to a 27-25 win.

Behind 2-1, Iron Mountain looked to keep its momentum rolling into the fourth set. But that wasn’t how it played out as Escanaba bounced back to secure the 25-10 set victory and a 3-1 match win.

Even though the result wasn’t in Iron Mountain’s favor, Newberry saw good things from her team and some areas for improvement.

“Emily Copley, she did a good job in the blocks and touches,” Newberry said. “Having (Juliana Tapio) come in as a 5-1 setter, it’s a whole different coverage. We kind of left the court a little open, that’s what we will be working on.”

The Mountaineers return to the court on Tuesday, Oct. 3 as they welcome the Flivvers to Mountaineers Gym. Play starts at 6 p.m.