Netters split with Petoskey and Alcona in last home date

The days are winding down for the volleyball season and teams are gearing up for the district tournaments. With the schedule draw planned for Wednesday evening (after press time) coach Mary Fairbanks? team has just a few more dates to prepare for the post-season. The team is scheduled to play in Rudyard tonight, and then travel to St. Louis for a tournament Saturday. The Straits Area Conference tournament is set for February 24 at Sault Ste. Marie and the district tournament in Charlevoix is planned for March 3. Other teams in the district include Charlevoix, Boyne City, Harbor Springs, and Inland Lakes. Monday, in the last home matches of the season, the Hurons split against Petoskey and Alcona.

In the first match against Petoskey, the Hurons kept it close but lost 23-25. In the second game in the best of three match Petoskey bolted out to a 10-point lead but watched as the Hurons rallied. Several ace serves by Elly Plath, and fine play at the net by Dana Fairbanks, Jenny Fleming, and Simone Kapala aided the cause.

IN GAME two, the Hurons fell behind 10-4, before pulling close. A kill by Fairbanks, off a set by Plath, helped in a four-point rally behind the serving of Moni Cercone. At 22-14, Fairbanks connected from the right-hitter spot, then served an ace to make it 22-16. With the score 23-18, the Hurons started another run, but an ?I got it, you take it,? ball dropped for point 24 for Petoskey. Then the Hurons responded with spirited play to pull to 24-23 behind Plath?s lefty serves. But the rally fell short as Petoskey won 25-23.

ROGERS CITY got it rolling against Alcona in the second of its two matches Monday in the last home date of the season, by scores of 25-17, 25-14. The Hurons went ahead 10-4 in the first game, after Cercone served an ace, and coasted to the win after that. With the score 12-8 in favor of the Hurons in the second game three straight kills, by junior mi

ddle hitter Jenny Fleming and one by junior Kaitlin Klingshirn, made the score 16-8. Two more Fleming kills and three ace serves by Plath moved the lead to 20-10 moments later.

Senior Dana Fairbanks, in her last home game, and the fourth of four outstanding Fairbanks sisters (Erin, Karla, Lauren) to excel at volleyball at RCHS, ended the match with a kill shot down the middle. Fairbanks led the team with 12 kills, while Fleming added eight. Ashley Basel had 12 set assists while Plath notched 11. Kapala had 14 digs while Cercone and Fleming had 11 each. The Hurons are now 23-17-2, and 3-1 in the conference.

THE JV TEAM ended the home portion of its season with a pair of wins Monday. Coach Chris Shay?s team topped Petoskey (25-27, 25-15, 15-13) and Alcona (25-15, 25-12). Allie Gilmet had 10 ace serves while Lindsey Konieczny had four kills.

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