Portagers top TC Bulldogs in Four
By DYLAN SAVELA Manistee News Advocate
Sports Writer
ONEKAMA — With a 22-16 lead in the
third game, Onekama was in the driver’s seat, en route to a sweep
against Traverse City Home School Tuesday night.
The Portagers then watched the advantage dwindle as the Bulldogs took
charge and pushed the match to a fourth game.
However, the loss served as the only blemish of the night for the
Portagers as they beat Traverse City Home School 26-24, 25-23, 24-26,
25-15.
“We had a lot of good plays, and a lot of lucky plays too,” Onekama
coach Lanette Keith said of the match. “We had great footwork on the
floor, great spiking on the net, great serving, a lot of good digs in
the back row, and they seem to be having a lot of fun out there.
“That’s the thing. We have good
players, and good attitudes,” Keith added. “They were all in good
spirits and we’re just having fun.”
Onekama’s Sherece Revolt led the way with 22 points, 22 sets, 10 ace
serves, 13 digs, eight tips, eight assists, two spikes, and one block.
Also for the Portagers, Jennica Mathieu served at 100 percent and had
eight points, 21 digs, 15 spikes, five kills, five tips, four assists
and two aces, Niki Slater served at 100 percent and had eight points, 23
digs, eight spikes, five assists, three aces, three kills, two blocks
and one tip, Lindsay Nesburg served at 100 percent and had five points,
four spikes, three digs, two aces, two kills, two assists and two tips,
Ashley Hobart had five points, 17 spikes, 11 kills, nine digs, three
aces, one block, one tip and one assist, Kailani Buckner had four
points, 37 sets, 12 assists eight digs, five spikes, five tips, three
blocks and one ace, and Katie Prielipp had two points with 14 digs and
one ace.
Tuesday night’s match wasn’t the first time the two teams have seen each
other.
In an early-season tri-meet held in Bear Lake on Aug. 24, it was the
Bulldogs taking the match in four games against the Portagers, 22-25,
25-17, 30-28, 25-13. “This time we played a lot better together,” Keith
said of the mid-season rematch.
For Traverse City coach Patrick O’Hara, the experience outweighs the
outcome. |
Onekama’s Kailani Buckner
(left) tries to spike the ball past a TC Bulldog on Tuesday in
Onekama. (Dylan Savela/News Advocate)
“These were real close games, and
these are the games we like, even if we lose,” he said. “We don’t play
for championships, because us home-schoolers aren’t in the league at
all. There’s no tournament at the end, and we don’t look at our win-loss
record. I’d rather have a game like this than anything, even if we don’t
take it in the end.“ The first three games were all separated by just
two points each,” he added. “It’s really great for our girls to be able
to do that.
It’s just been a great season for the girls. Our stats are improving
tremendously over the year and it’s just amazing how they progressed
from the beginning of our season to now.” |
