Hancock’s Sadie Biekkala (7) celebrates after her team scores a point during a D4 District 98 semifinal match against L’Anse Wednesday night at the Hancock Gym. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HANCOCK — There is a reason the Hancock Bulldogs volleyball team is the top seed in their district. They play hard on both offense and defense and get the job done.

That effort was evident on Wednesday as they swept the L’Anse Purple Hornets 3-0 in MHSAA Division 4 District 98 semifinal action. They won 25-8, 25-21 and 25-8.

With the win, they will play for the district title Friday against Lake Linden-Hubbell.

“I liked how we came out strong in the first and set the tone,” said Hancock’s coach, Brian Lampaa.

That tone sounded like a 14-2 lead by the Bulldogs in the first set courtesy of Emily L’Esperance at the service line. While the Bulldogs moved to 25 points, they kept the Purple Hornets at just eight in their opening set win.

The second set was the Purple Hornets best as they took an early lead at 6-4 with Kwynn Voskuhl on the line. They kept a two-point advantage at 11-9, but the Bulldogs came back and tied it at 11 and didn’t stop.

Hancock’s Brooke Koskela posted a service run of five and moved the score to 20-16. While the Purple Hornets rallied to come within two at 20-22, it was not enough, and the set ended in another Bulldogs’ win.

“We let our guard down there after a comfortable win in the first, but came back strong and focused in the third,” noted Laampa. “We cannot do that moving forward. We need to be more consistent.”

The Bulldogs’ Reese Driscoll started the third with an impressive 10-0 service run. They kept that lead with Lynn Heinonen posting a service run of six and moving the score to 22-6. The Bulldogs finished off the set to seal the match.

Despite the loss, L’Anse coach Brooklyn Fish said she was proud of her girls.

“We had some great games and not so great games,” she noted. “It was an up and down year.”

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will face Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes on Friday for the district championship at Lake Linden. Hancock beat the Lakes earlier this year 3-0. The opening serve is set for 6 p.m.