ESCANABA, MI – The Bay Norse Volleyball Team (4-12, 2-4 MCCAA) pulled out a thrilling five-set victory over the Alpena Community College Lumberjacks (0-8, 0-5 MCCAA) with scores of 25-17, 17-25, 25-16, 22-25, and 15-9.
Bay got off to a hot start in the first set, rattling off nine points before the Lumberjacks could answer. The home team looked to be cruising to a win when Alpena called a time out down 12-2. The Norse had to weather an Alpena comeback however, as the visitors closed the score to 14-9, but Bay held on to pick up the victory in the first set.
The second set saw the fortunes reversed. It was Alpena jumping out to an 11-1 lead in the early going and having to fend off a late Norse charge. Bay would cut the lead to 18-11 but would never get closer than that as the Lumberjacks evened the series at one set apiece.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair to start. Bay finally got an edge, taking a 16-12 lead that forced Alpena to call a timeout. The Lumberjacks regrouped and drew within one, but Bay then rattled off eight consecutive points to finish off the set.
The fourth set saw the Lumberjacks jump out to a six-point lead early. The Norse rallied on multiple occasions, with Riley Moore (SO, Chatham, MI) sparking a rally with her serving, and Piper Monroe (SO, Menominee, MI) getting hot and landing some kills late. The Lumberjacks would hold on and take the set by just three points.
Bay took an early lead in the final set, forcing an Alpena timeout that got them back into the fray. It would go back-and-forth with Alpena grabbing a short lead. Bay rallied again, taking a 12-9 lead and forcing another timeout from Alpena. This time it did not change the momentum as Mia Hauser (FR, Wallace, MI) picked up an ace from the serving line, the Lumberjacks had an unforced error, and Monroe knocked down a big kill to end the match in the Norse's favor.
"When we give them easy points, and make things tough on ourselves, and give them energy, it's a hard night," Bay College Head Coach Dan Porath said. "I'm glad we were able to pull off a win. It's hard to keep momentum when you're just giving them the points back. So, we cleaned those things up and it made things a little easier for us in the final set. The home environment was great, shout out to the Escanaba High School Team for coming out and supporting us. They definitely brought some energy for us."
Olyvia Saxton (FR, Ithaca, MI) led the Norse with ten kills and a .533 hitting percentage. She also had six assisted block sand two solo blocks in the match. Monroe also had ten kills on 17 attempts. She picked up three aces and two assisted blocks. Kayla Swanson (FR, Wallace, MI) had 21 assists and five digs.
Jade Jasenovsky (FR, Menominee, MI) led the defense with 23 digs. Hauser contributed 16 digs and had seven aces from the service line.
The Norse return to action on October 4 with a trip to Milwaukee Area Technical College. That match starts at 6 pm. They end that trip with a visit to Bryant & Stratton College (WI) on October 5, a match that will start at noon.