News Photo by Leslianne Johns Laura Poli prepares to dive to save the ball during Friday's home tournament, which opened the volleyball season for the Wildcats.

ALPENA — The Alpena Wildcats volleyball team opened their season on Friday by hosting a three-team tournament, featuring matchups against the Ogemaw Falcons and the Rogers City Hurons.

In their first contest against Ogemaw, the Wildcats got off to a strong start. Madelyn Cameron put down the first point, and Alpena maintained an early lead in a competitive opening set. The Falcons challenged late but could not surpass a tie, as Alpena pulled away 25-18.

Momentum shifted in the second and third sets as Ogemaw found more consistency. The Falcons’ offense began to score more frequently, while Alpena struggled to find answers. Despite strong decision-making on whether to play or let balls drop out, the Wildcats fell 14-25 in the second and 16-25 in the third, giving Ogemaw the match victory.

The Falcons carried their momentum into their second match of the night, defeating Rogers City in straight sets.

Alpena rebounded in their final contest against the Hurons. The Wildcats controlled play throughout much of the match, showing strong blocking and defensive effort. Laura Poli and Emily VanHorn stood out with consistent hustle and diving plays to keep rallies alive. Although serving errors occasionally disrupted momentum, Alpena secured the win 25-17 and 25-16.

The tournament closed with Alpena finishing 1-1 on the day, Ogemaw earning two wins, and Rogers City coming up short in both of their matches.