Prep Roundup: Inland Lakes volleyball takes down Central Lake in four
INDIAN RIVER – The Inland Lakes volleyball team improved to 2-0 in the Ski Valley Conference by earning a 3-1 victory (25-21, 21-25, 25-7, 25-17) over Central Lake at home on Thursday.
It was a big hitting night for I-L senior Natalie Wandrie, who surpassed her personal-best 25 kills in a game with 26 against the Trojans. The 26 kills tied for fourth in program history for kills in a match.
“(Wandrie) was a crucial part of our refocus after the second set leading to the win,” said Inland Lakes coach Nicole Moore.
Wandrie also had 16 digs, three aces and two blocks for the Bulldogs (6-5-2, 2-0 Ski Valley), who received a team-high 17 digs and an ace from KC Cain. Erica Taglauer tallied 47 assists. Brooklyn LaBrecque and Hannah Robinson each helped out with seven kills.
“Our passers (Ryann Clancy, KC Cain, Natalie Wandrie and Hannah Robinson) were impressive, and Natalie’s efficiency were real highlights of the night,” Moore said. “We are still working to find a way to be more consistent and not drop sets along the way.”
Inland Lakes hosts Onaway in a Ski Valley clash on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
Hornets swept by Ski Valley power JoBurg
PELLSTON – The effort was there from the Pellston volleyball team on Thursday night.
But sometimes you just run into a juggernaut of an opponent.
That juggernaut proved to be the two-time defending Ski Valley Conference champion Johannesburg-Lewiston Cardinals, who were simply too much for the Hornets in a 3-0 victory (25-16, 25-18, 25-18) in Pellston’s conference opener at home.
“Despite the outcome tonight, I’m proud of the way the girls played,” said Pellston coach Kelsey Michaud. “They kept their energy up to win a lot of long, intense volleys. We are a young team and struggled with blocking and defense against JoBurg’s polished hitters. We also need to work on smarter plays when we are pulled out of system; a few players know where to place the ball, but most are still learning those key spots to hit.”
Lillie Bourrie led the Hornets (4-3-1, 0-1 Ski Valley) with four kills, two blocks, two aces and two digs, while Megan Bricker tallied eight digs, five assists and one kill, Breanna Willis registered two kills, five digs and two assists, and Gabby Landon chipped in with eight digs and one ace.
Pellston heads to the Petoskey tournament on Saturday.
Whipkey, Mackinaw City boys first at first NLC meet
MACKINAW CITY – Led by senior Cooper Whipkey, the Mackinaw City boys cross country team opened its Northern Lakes Conference title defense by finishing first at the first NLC meet held at Headlands Dark Sky Park in Mackinaw City on Thursday.
The Comets (nine points) were paced by Whipkey, who earned first individually with a 19:27 time, while teammate Noah Valot took third at 20:09. The Comets saw four others join the top 10, including Jeffrey Siebigteroth (fifth, 22:24), Myran Thompson (sixth, 23:17), Ben Strittmatter (seventh, 25:03) and Kyle Valot (ninth, 25:31). Isaac Valot (27:25) finished 12th.
Ellsworth (13) finished second as a team.
In the girls meet, Larissa Huffman (23:41) finished first overall to lead the Comets (17), who took second behind Wolverine (13). Cynthia Thompson (39:03) took seventh for Mackinaw City.
“Finally we got to see what our conference competition looks like and our kids ran strong,” said Mackinaw City coach Heather Huffman. “Everyone had faster times than the day before. I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially having back-to-back meets and another hot meet.”
The Mackinaw City teams will race at the Charlevoix Mud Run on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Mackinaw City competed in the Manistique Invitational.
Noah Valot (20:14) finished 12th, Whipkey (20:17) was 13th, and Siebigteroth (23:45) earned 42nd for the Comet varsity boys.
On the varsity girls side, Huffman (24:33) took ninth.
Comets running in the junior varsity boys race included Myran Thompson (second, 22:47), Strittmatter (10th, 24:18) and Isaac Valot (10th, 24:19).
Thompson (41:09) took 13th in the JV girls race, while Kyle Valot (12th, 14:07) and Wesley House (64th, 21:12) each raced in the middle school event.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Prep Roundup: Inland Lakes volleyball takes down Central Lake in four
