Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette The Hancock Bulldogs raise the MHSAA D4 Region 25 trophy high on Thursday after they defeated Forest Park- Crytal Falls 3-0 at Baraga High School in Baraga.

By Eddie O’Neill

eoneill@mininggazette.com

BARAGA – For the first time in Hancock High School volleyball history, the Bulldogs are regional champs. On Thursday, they downed the Forest Park-Crystal Falls Lady Trojans 3-0 (25-18, 25-1 and 25-23) for the MHSAA Division 4 Region 25 title.

Bulldogs’ coach Brian Lampaa credits senior leadership to his team’s winning ways.

“We have eight seniors, and they work hard,” he stated. “They are a great group of girls who have been key in our success this season.”

He added that they were on top of their game Thursday particularly in servicing and passing.

Case in point was the Bulldogs’ four-point lead to open the first at 7-3. It got better at 10-4 thanks to a tip off the fingers of Hancock’s Reese Driscoll.

While the Lady Trojans got within two at 18-20, the Bulldogs’ Lynn Heinonen served up five in a row for a 25-18 win.

In the second, momentum continued with the Bulldogs. Driscoll pushed her team out to an 8-2 lead. While the Lady Trojans shrunk that difference to three at 12-15, that is as good as it got. They struggled to put any significant runs together.

Add to that the fact that the Bulldogs did not let up. A kill by Brooke Koskela at 19-13 set the pace for a 25-18 second-set win.

“We have a high-power offense, and that was spot on tonight,” Lampaa added. “It scored us a lot of points as it has all season. In particular, Brooke (Koskela) and Sophie (Freeman) did a great job of playing their game.”

The third set was the Lady Trojans’ best despite a 7-4 deficit to open.

With Vienna Price at the service line, they came back to tie this one at nine and take their first lead\at 11-9. It was then a literal back-and-forth battle between these two. After ties at 14, 16 and 17, it was knotted at 20, 21 and 23 before the Bulldogs won the race to 25. Minutes later they raised the regional trophy up high for the first time in school history.

UP NEXT

With the win, the Bulldogs are among the eight-best D4 teams in the state. They will charter into unknown territory as they will play in the MHSSA D4 Quarterfinal 13 game on Tuesday in Manistique. The opening serve is set for 7 p.m. They will face the Atlanta Huskies – a team that beat St. Ignace (3-0) to earn their regional trophy.

When asked if he knew anything about the Huskies, Lampaa responded with a ‘no.’

“I will certainly be watching some tape on them this weekend,” he said with a smile.