The Hancock volleyball team is all smiles as they pose with their D4 District 98 trophy on Friday in Lake Linden. They defeated the Lakes 3-2. (Eddie O’Neill/ Daily Mining Gazette)

LAKE LINDEN — The Hancock Bulldogs volleyball team had become quite accustomed to winning three sets in a row during their regular season. It was typically the first three sets. Thus, when they found themselves down 0-2 against the Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes in the D4 District 98 title game, they were in relatively unchartered waters, to say the least.

“Was I worried? You bet,” said Hancock coach Brian Lampaa, after they were one set away from their season ending. “But I told the girls (after the second set), we have won so many games 3-0. So, now what we need to do is a reverse 3-0, but you are going to have to work for it.”

The girls heeded their coach’s call and came back to win the district title 3-2 (20-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-16 and 15-13).

This was the second time these two teams had met. The Bulldogs swept the Lakes 3-0 earlier in the season.

In the first set, the Lakes played their best set of the season. With Payton Goldsworthy on the line, they led 13-8. That morphed into a 20-13 lead and an eventual win.

A hometown crowd, and momentum, certainly kept the Lakes afloat in the second set. Despite being tied at three and seven, the Lakes never let the Bulldogs go ahead until a knotted score of 12-12. With Reese Driscoll on the line for the Bulldogs, Hancock went up 15-12. They stayed ahead by at least two until the Lakes dug deep and tied it at 20. It was then a back-and-forth, point-for-point match until the Lakes squeaked out a 26-24 win.

“Lake Linden did what they needed to do to make us feel uncomfortable,” said Lampaa. “They served well, passed well and played very good defense. They beat us in those first two sets. They wanted it more than we did. We were uptight, but then we regrouped and played some good volleyball in the third set.”

With strong leads at 10-2 and 13-3, the third set looked like easy taking for the Bulldogs. But, the Lakes had not tossed out an anchor. They chipped away at the deficit with back-to-back aces by Emily Burnham. With libero Ashlyn Steves serving, they tied and took a lead at 17-16.

It was a short-lived lead however as the Bulldogs rebounded to tie this one at 19 and win the race to 25. Down now 1-2, the Bulldogs still had their backs against the wall as they entered the fourth set.

Hancock’s nerves had settled by the fourth set, and they were seemingly in rhythm playing Bulldogs’ volleyball. With Vaeda Brooks on the line, the Bulldogs led 10-5. It was 16-6 when teammate Lynn Heinonen finished her service run and that led to an eventual 25-16 win and a forced fifth set.

In this final set race to 15 points, the Bulldogs won the first leg at 5-0 with Alice Larson at the line, and that set the tone. The Lakes got within one point at 6-7 and even tied it at 13 with Isabella Tampas serving, but the Bulldogs took the last two point for a match-set victory at 15-13.

Despite the loss, Lakes’ coach Joslynn Perala was very impressed with her girls’ performance. It was a great way to end the season.

“They really fought hard,” she stated. “I had been craving this type of volleyball from them all season. I told them to not hang their heads but be very proud.”

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will face the Ewen-Trout Creek Panthers on Tuesday for the D4 Region 25 semifinal at Houghton High School. The first serve is set for 6 p.m.