Hurons share volleyball conference championship honors
The Hurons faced off against Straits Area Conference teams Saturday and tied for first place with St. Ignace when they tied for points, 8-2. ?We ended the season tied with St. Ignace in the conference making us co-conference champions,? said coach Kristy Smolinski. ?The team played very well on the day with things coming together for the start of the post-season play.? Saturday, in the Alcona opener, Rogers City had no trouble putting the Tigers away 15-0 and 15-8 before proceeding to do the same to the Onaway Cardinals, 15-2, 15-3.
The Hurons split with St. Ignace, 8-15 and 15-9, and split again with Rudyard 15-8 and 10-15. In the final match the Hurons bested the Newberry Indians, 15-8 and 15-12. Ashley Fleming led the team with 37 kills, six blocks, seven ace serves and 27 digs, while Becky Bruning added 15 kills, five blocks and 26 digs. Tiffiny Krueger had 12 kills, 11 aces and 36 digs, while Dana Fairbanks had 10 kills, eight ace serves and 31 digs.
Megan Hanson contributed 18 digs and 52 set assists and Laura Konieczny added 12 ace serves and 20 digs.
IN FINAL season action before districts, the Hurons traveled to Cheboygan Monday for an add-on match, sweeping both Cedarville and Cheboygan. In the Cedarville games the Hurons won 15-4, 2-15, and 15-13, and took Cheboygan in two, 15-11 and 15-8, for a 26-21-7 season match record and 21-4 in conference. Ashley Fleming led the Hurons with 17 kills, four blocks, four aces, and 24 digs, while Bruning added 12 kills, five blocks, 12 digs and two aces. Krueger had eight kills, 17 digs, one block and three aces, while Fairbanks added six kills, 11 digs, one block and three
Hanson contributed three digs and 10 set assists. ?The girls played very well in this pre-district add-on match in Cheboygan,? Smolinski said. ?We are hoping this double win will propel us into a strong showing for the post season district matchup with Harbor Springs.?
IT?S NOW or never for the feisty young team that has invested its hopes in district play Friday and Saturday at Harbor Springs. Onaway will have a bye in the first round as the Hurons are pitted against a formidable Harbor Springs team. In the other first-round matches, Pellston will face Inland Lakes, while Boyne City also has a bye.
Winners will proceed to play either Onaway or Boyne City to determine who goes on to play Saturday in the finals match for the district championship and the right to proceed to the regionals at Suttons Bay in mid-March. After that is a run to the quarterfinals in Mancelona and a trip to state at Kalamazoo for the surviving teams.