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Onaway tops Mancelona on Senior Night

ONAWAY – The Onaway volleyball team celebrated Senior Night on Tuesday with a 3-1 victory over Ski-Valley Conference rival Mancelona, 25-22, 26-24, 28-30 and 25-22.

Despite the victory, it was not the kind of performance that Onaway coach Steve Watson wanted to see from his team this late in the season.

“We didn’t play well tonight and it just didn’t look like there was a lot of motivation to win,” Watson said. “Most years we’re playing our final conference game to win the conference, tonight we were just playing Mancelona and there wasn’t that extra must have mentality.”

The Cardinals were pushed to the limit against a Mancelona team that looked determined to spoil Senior Night. The first set was a back-and-forth battle the entire way, but the Cardinals were able to score four of the final five points in the set to take the early match lead.

The Lady Ironmen came out firing in the second set, scoring the first six points and held a 10-4 lead before Onaway started to rally. The Cardinals scored seven of the next eight points to tie the game at 11 and force Mancelona coach Stacia Davis to use a timeout.

The rest of the set would be another back-and-forth battle, but again Onaway was able to find a way to win and take a commanding two set lead.

It looked as if the Cardinals were going to ride the momentum wave they were on after a tight second set victory early in the third as they jumped out to an early 11-3 lead, but allowed Mancelona to gain momentum of its own and come storming back, using an 8-2 run to take a 15-14 lead. Once again the remainder of the set went back and forth, but this time it was the Ironmen who were able to take a set and stay alive in the match.

“Our timing was really poor tonight on our blocks and it was really frustrating. I felt like Mancelona wasn’t seeing the floor that well tonight and we tried to be aggressive, but at times it just didn’t work out,” Watson said.

Onaway was able to regroup and take the fourth set, but again it was far from pretty. The Cardinals again jumped out to 9-5 lead, but that lead was quickly erased after Mancelona went on a 12-2 run to take a six point lead.

The Cardinals battled back and went on an 8-1 run to regain a one point lead. The two teams exchanged leads late in the set, but Onaway was able to close out the Ironmen.

“The truth is no matter what level you’re playing at, you have to find ways to win ugly. We did do that tonight, but we looked like a shell of what we have looked like the last few weeks,” Watson said.

Onaway was led by Seniors Vydailya Letts, Taylor Ehrke, Noel Nash and Alison LaFave. Letts finished with six digs, three kills and two blocks. Ehrke dished out 22 assists, had 14 digs, nine kills and two blocks. Nash added four blocks, two kills and two digs. LaFave collected 17 kills and 10 digs. Jaclyn Nash had 12 digs and dished out 11 assists and Madison McLean finished with 11 kills, eight digs and three aces.

“We just didn’t execute tonight. We had opportunities to close out Mancelona tonight, but we let them back in the game,” Watson said. “I’m hoping that this is the last effort like this the rest of the year. It was disappointing tonight, but it was a win and our focus is going to be on districts now because they are quickly approaching.”

Onaway is 34-7-5 overall and will be back in action on Monday when it travels to Sault Ste. Marie where it will have a tri against the Blue Devils and Cheboygan.

Jonny Zawacki can be reached via email at jzawacki@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5690.

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