Inland Lakes claims share of Ski Valley volleyball title with win over Gaylord St. Mary
INDIAN RIVER – A sign of a championship-caliber team is one that doesn’t panic.
Even after the Inland Lakes volleyball team was swept by Johannesburg-Lewiston a few weeks ago, the Bulldogs didn’t let it faze them.
They knew with better play that they could remain in the Ski Valley Conference title race.
A few weeks later – with terrific play and some other conference results going in their favor – the Bulldogs were crowned champions on their home floor.
Fueled by solid all-around play, the Bulldogs clinched at least a share of a second consecutive Ski Valley title by earning a 3-0 victory over Gaylord St. Mary (25-16, 25-12, 25-9) on Tuesday.
“(We had) a conversation about (the JoBurg loss) and that we are going to have hard games and what are we going to do in hard games – and that game was a prime example of what not to do,” said Inland Lakes coach Nicole Moore. “We worked on that a lot, and under pressure what do we do, and I have some young players, so it’s a process, but we have improved immensely since that game.”
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With the win, the Bulldogs (19-9-4) finished 7-1 in conference play. While they suffered defeat at JoBurg, JoBurg was later defeated by Mancelona in a conference game. Last week, the Bulldogs pulled off their biggest win of the season when they beat Mancelona at home and kept their title hopes alive. JoBurg clinched their share of the title with a victory over Forest Area at home on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs – as they’ve done consistently over the years – prevailed in a game they absolutely needed to win.
“I think coming into this season there was a big question mark of who we would be, especially after losing our impressive seniors from last year, so I’m so incredibly proud that this team has worked hard to continue that legacy and show up in big games,” Moore said. “It’s been a process, but we got there and I’m proud of them.
“(The Mancelona match) was the most up and down game I’ve ever been a part of. They showed up when it mattered, they got points when it mattered, and we need to work on the in-between, but it was a big game win.”
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One of the Bulldogs leading the way in Tuesday's win was junior Brooklyn LaBrecque, whose ferocious kills were too much for the Snowbirds to handle.
A member on last year’s title squad, this year’s championship was also a special feeling for LaBrecque, who helped the Bulldogs rally following their lone Ski Valley setback to JoBurg.
“I feel like we really took it in and told ourselves that we had to do better,” said LaBrecque, who finished with nine kills, seven digs and two aces. “After that loss to JoBurg, we just felt like we had to win every game. This is pretty big, and I feel like we definitely accomplished a lot this year and people didn’t think we could.
“We’ve been playing really good, and we have been playing really scrappy. We feel like we’ll have a good rest of the season.”
Moore praised the focus of her team, which had no intention of letting the Snowbirds hang around.
“I’m very proud of the seniors and some more people got some playing time tonight and did a great job,” Moore said. “I’m proud of everybody tonight and Lakyn (Thompson), who’s still not fully cleared from an (anterior cruciate ligament) injury. She’s the one that served and stood there. That is a very special moment because her senior year was taken away from her.”
Molly Monthei had eight kills for the Bulldogs, who received three aces and eight digs from Claire Feagan, three aces from Thompson, seven digs from Kaydince Fate, and five digs from Teague Meckstroth.
Bulldogs finish 4-1, reach semifinals of home invitational
On Saturday, Oct. 14, the Bulldogs had a strong showing at their home invitational, finishing with a 4-1 record that included pool play victories over East Jordan (25-19, 25-13), Newberry (25-20, 25-23), St. Ignace (25-22, 25-24) and Alpena (25-20, 25-22). The Bulldogs’ lone defeat came in a semifinal loss to Manistique (18-25, 20-25).
Jenna Stubbs led the Bulldogs with 26 kills, 30 digs, 11 aces and two blocks, Chloe Robinson tallied 23 kills, 16 digs and five aces, LaBrecque added 17 kills, 29 digs and three aces, and Erica Taglauer recorded 75 assists, 29 digs and three aces.
Inland Lakes will play in tri-match at JoBurg on Tuesday, Oct. 24.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Inland Lakes volleyball beats Gaylord St. Mary, earns Ski Valley title share
