Cardinal volleyball team takes big SVC match at Forest Area

Going into the season, Onaway High School volleyball coach figured the Ski Valley Conference race would come down to three teams – Forest Area, Pellston, and his Cardinals.

 

On Tuesday, the Cards took a big step toward winning the conference when they knocked off Forest Area in the Warriors home gym, 26-24, 14-25, 25-12, 25-15.

“They were ready for us,” Watson said of his hosts. “They have a hall of fame coach and he always has them playing as well as they can possibly play. That was again the case tonight.

“They are extremely tough defensively, but our offense was just a little better than their defense. I thought we showed a lot of mental toughness to come back after getting beat pretty soundly in that second game.”

<p>Mariah Ehrke had 16 kills and 14 digs, Lexi Szymoniak had 12 kills, 20 digs, and three aces, Taylor Ehrke had 33 assists and 12 digs, Devin Bristley had eight kills, 11 digs, and four aces, and Sara Fullerton had five kills, 18 digs, and four aces.

The victory improved the Cardinals’ record to 23-4-3, including 3-0 in the SVC. Onaway is ranked eighth in the latest Class D poll.

The OHS junior varsity dropped its match at Forest Area, 16-25, 19-25, 15-12, to fall to 11-4-9. Allison LaFave had three kills and four aces, Roxanne Kortman had four kills, and Tori March had three assists and six aces.

The volleyball teams played at Gaylord St. Mary yesterday (Thursday) and will host Pellston on Tuesday – the second of the big SVC matches for the varsity, which also competes Saturday at a tournament at St. Ignace.