Esky volleyball drops GNC away game against No. 2 Kingsford | News, sports, jobs

Escanaba’s Grayson LaMarche (22) blocks the shot from Kingsford’s Kailey Sundquist (7) on Oct. 22, 2024 at Flivver Gym in Kingsford. (Sean Chase/Daily News)

KINGSFORD — As he sat on a folding chair next to the Kingsford training room toward the end of the junior varsity game against Escanaba, Flivver senior Ellery Nash began to cry. Really sob.

It was Senior Night as the six Kingsford seniors – Nash, Anna Bortolini, Alyssa Larson, Jenna Viau, Kailey Sundquist and Maddy Kreider – all walked with their parents and were recognized for their tremendous contributions to the Flivver volleyball program over the past three years wanted to be -plus seasons.

The game was also the last regular season game the Flivver seniors would ever play on their home court.

With all the buzz and renewed recognition of their late assistant coach Rita Huglin, who passed away last summer, Nash and her friends/teammates began to face the inevitable – the end of their time as Kingsford volleyball players began to come into focus .

Interestingly, the Flivvers used their overflowing emotions to get off to a quick start against the Eskymos, but then seemed to be overwhelmed by things for the rest of the evening, despite fending off a weak set and defeating their visitors 25-15, 23-25, 25 -11, 25-16.

“We talked about that later, for example about what happened in the second set.” said Kingsford coach Jaclynn Kreider. “The girls said they felt like their energy was going down, and as our energy went down, so did our communication. We were just on our heels the whole time.”

The second-seeded Flivvers scored seven of the game’s first eight points, sparked by aces from Nash and Maddy Kreider and a kill each from Sundquist and Kreider.

Kingsford (28-4) led by 11 points at one point and secured the first set win.

“At the beginning we kind of thought, ‘Let’s put our stamp on the districts’.” Nash said about a possible duel with the Eskymos in the tournament. “So we definitely got out quickly. And then I think we lost momentum in the second set, which is what happened.”

Although the Flivvers remained close with Escanaba throughout the set, their energy waned noticeably. The spark was gone, the legs looked heavy and soon the match was tied to one set at a time.

“I think emotionally it was hard tonight.” said senior Maddy Kreider. “You know, the six of us seniors have been at the university for three years now (four for Kreider). And for our time to come, it came really quickly.

“There were a lot of tears, but it was good.”

The Eskymos also seemed to lose their flow in the third set. As their player movement slowed and their passing slowed, the Flivvers stabilized. Three aces from Maddy Kreider, a tip and a quick-set kill from Sundquist and a kill from Viau helped extend the lead from 13-10 to 21-10.

Sundquist blocked an Escanaba flyover to end the set, bringing her team within one game of victory.

That’s exactly what Kingsford did in the fourth when he outsprinted Esky with another run midway through the game, breaking a 9-9 tie and giving the Flivvers a 19-12 lead.

Shortly thereafter, Larson dished out the final five points of the game and the Flivvers secured the sole Great Northern Conference title with a 7-0 record with one game remaining Thursday in Marquette.

Their nearest rivals, Escanaba and Marquette, both have two league losses at this point.

The Flivvers’ latest achievement only adds to the laundry list that has been compiled for the Flivvers over the past three seasons “Group of Six.” While the Class of 2025 received important contributions from their teammates, they made their mark in Kingsford volleyball history.

With the tournament on the horizon and the favorites to win a third straight district championship, it’s no wonder that the pride, sense of accomplishment and realization that it’s all been accomplished just weeks after it’s over, have aroused such passion.

“I was pretty emotional” Nash said of her mood before the game. “We were talking about going for a walk with our parents and we all got kind of emotional. One started crying and then the next.

“I think volleyball has been such a big part of our lives. Now it’s surreal. It came so quickly. It’s not real until it’s real.”

But their mentor and coach, who is also the mother of sophomores Maddy and Mylee, will be by their side until this historic group of senior volleyball players play their final game.

“It’s hard because now you see we still have one regular season game left and from then on, anyone who shows up on the right night, especially in volleyball, and plays well can beat teams like us who have a great regular season had season. ” said Coach Kreider.

“So we know that… potentially that end is near. We hope we can go for a run and be together longer. But this is a nice group of kids. I love them very much, each and every one of them. They’re just a group that has really left a big impact on our volleyball program.”