2 weeks Ago
MCBAIN — Call it a good night to get some work done and win a trophy. McBain went 3-0 in the annual Osceola County Volleyball Showdown it hosted against Pine River, Reed City and Evart. The Ramblers beat the Bucks 25-18, 25-19; beat the Coyotes 25-21, 25-15; and beat the Wildcats 25-14, 25-14.
“This was a good night for trying to work on some things in our game,” McBain coach Shawn Murphy said. “We looked pretty well on the defensive end and I thought we continued to move better as the night went on. We struggled a bit from the service line tonight, which is something that we haven’t had too much of this season, but it has been a long week and I think we have some tired shoulders.
“Overall, everyone was able to contribute tonight and there was good energy, which is critical at this point in the season.” Gwyneth VerBerkmoes paced McBain with 19 kills and 18 digs while Madison Ochampaugh dished out 40 assists, 14 digs and two aces. Adria Rozeveld had 18 kills and 13 digs while Brooklyn Hall had 14 kills and 10 digs.
Ayla Fredin had 11 kills, a block, 20 digs and two aces while Katelyn DeZeeuw and Isabel Rozeveld each had three kills. Ivy Mills added seven assists and served 100 percent while Megan Kile served 22 of 23. McBain (23-11-2 overall) hosts Pine River on Tueday to wrap up Highland Conference play with its “Paint the Gym Pink/Purple Night” for cancer awareness.
Featured will be a bake sale, shirt sales and a raffle to win a custom Breast Cancer Ribbon T-Shirt Quilt. Pine River went 1-2. The Bucks lost to McBain; lost to Evart 25-20, 25-20; and beat Reed City 25-17, 24-26, 16-14.
“We did some real nice things tonight,” Pine River coach Jana Dennis said. “We stuck to our play and serve aggressive focus. The girls worked through some slow spots throughout the night and were able to get back in the fight.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the wins against McBain and Evart but pulled out a good victory against Reed City.” Pine River is at Central Montcalm on Saturday. MCBAIN — Northern Michigan Christian beat Brethren in four sets in a non-league match.
“We ran a new rotation tonight to adjust for the girls missing and did well,” NMC coach Janelle Winkle said. “We started off a little out of it but pulled it together.” Elly Bennett paced the Comets with 10 kills, three blocks, seven aces and three digs while Ava Johns had eight kills, five aces and six digs.
Myra Yount had six kills and two aces on 100 percent serving while Melanie Bennett added three kills, two aces and 11 digs. Maria DeRuiter dished out 16 assists, a kill and six digs while Maddie Winkel had a kill, five digs, eight assists and two aces on 100 percent serving, Brook Winkel added five digs. TRAVERSE CITY — Buckley scored a 27-25, 25-11, 25-23 win over Grand Traverse Academy in a non-league match.
“GTA came in ready to pay and we got off to a very slow start,” Buckley coach Jordin Ellens said. “We played hard and stayed fairly calm, which helped us win in the end.” Katie Smith had six digs and two aces while Maddi Sladek had three digs, eight kills and nine aces.
Kayla Milarch had four kills and three aces. Buckley hosts a tri on Tuesday. MESICK — Mesick dropped a 25-14, 19-25, 25-21, 25-18 decision to Suttons Bay in a non-league match.
“We had a bit of a slow start in the first set but I am proud of the girls for how they responded by taking the second set,” Mesick coach Stacy Quiggin said. “The third and fourth sets were filled with some really long volleys and some very scrappy plays.” Avery Linna was 13 of 14 serving with a block, two assists, six kills and 16 digs while Celeste Hallett had 10 assists, three kills, 24 digs and an ace on 12 of 16 serving.
Madi Putney had three kills, 17 digs and two aces on 12 of 13 serving while Zophya Buss had a kill, 15 digs and served 12 of 12. Kylie Sexton had two kills, two blocks, four digs and an ace on 10 of 12 serving while Maddy Spoor had an assist, two kills, 10 digs and two aces on 11 of 12 serving. Izzy Terry added a kill and 16 digs.
MESICK — Mesick closed out its season with a 52-14 win over Pellston in a non-conference football game. The Bulldogs rushed for 335 yards and seven touchdowns against the Hornets. Jaden Simpson totaled 122 yards and two touchdowns on five carries while Wyatt Putney had 100 yards and a TD on 13 carries.
Isaac Stroh added 82 yards and a TD while Jimmy Russell added a 5-yard TD and Gabe Bradley added two rushing TDs. Kenyan White paced the defense with eight tackles and a forced fumble while Simpson had seven tackles and an interception. Stroh had five tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception while Travis Steward added seven tackles.
Mesick finishes the season at 2-7 overall..
