The U15 Blue team, coached by Kelly Williams and Jeff Henquinet, captured the U16 Spirit Division championship. Braylinn Antilla (Calumet) contributed an aggressive performance along with fellow Calumet teammates Annika Stafford and Lila Hyrkas.

Ashlyn Steves (Lake Linden) provided stable serve receive and excellent defense to allow the setters, Alyssa Northey and Lydia Williams (Houghton) to run a balanced middle attack with Annika Henquinet and Skylar Sajdak (Houghton).

Ruby Petersen and Olivia Kamper (Houghton) added further attack options for the team.

KVBC’s U16 and U15 Black teams competed in the U16 Club division and finished fourth and fifth of 12 teams. The U16 team finished 2-2 on the day competing strongly in pool play and making the gold bracket, but losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion. The team is coached by Joslynn Perala and Olivia O’Dwyer.

The Keweenaw Volleyball Club’s U15 Black team includes: Brooke Pietila, Elli Kuntze, Kylee Andrews, Romey Koskela, Tatum Sporalski, Mindy Hillstrom, Chloe Bastian, and Drew Lamppa. (Photo provided)

The U15 Black team, coached by Rachel and Brian Lamppa, went 4-1 on the day, winning the silver bracket. The team was down a player throughout the tournament, but the entire team stepped up to compensate. Chloe Bastian, libero, had great passing and defense. The setters put the ball where it needed to be, and pin hitters Romey Koskela, Kylee Andrews, and Elli Kuntze showed a great serving performance as well as attacking.

KVBC’s two 14s teams competed in the U14 Club division.

The U14 Black team experienced something special winning a perfect set 25-0, which is exceedingly rare in volleyball. Lucy Biekkola (Hancock) served 25 in a row, including 16 aces.

The team finished in fourth place, losing in the semi-finals to the eventual champion. Jenae Koski (Hancock) led the team in kills, followed by fellow pin Cali Hodges (Calumet).

Jade Niemela and Briana Antilla (both of Calumet) centered the offense and blocking scheme in the middle. Lissa Johnson (Lake Linden) and Kiya Kemppainen (Dollar Bay) anchored the back row. Aanika Schlief and Vera Pietila (both of Houghton) set the offense.

The Keweenaw Volleyball Club’s U14 Blue team includes: Trinity Rajala (Calumet), Kiersten Keranen (Calumet), Ana Sudderth (Jeffers), Claire Johnson (Jeffers), Ida Ahaile (Calumet), Danni Stites (Calumet), Khloe Carlson (Calumet), Ava Maki (Jeffers), Amelia Malik (Houghton), and Mia Caldwell (Houghton). Coaches are Katie Schlief and Danielle Thoune. (Photo provided)

Coaches are Richelle Winkler and Brynn Arko.

The U14 Blue team finished in fifth place with an impressive 8-4 set record and winning the silver bracket. This was no easy feat, as the team navigated through a tough pool and battled it out in a total of 12 sets in one day. The team’s resilience through setbacks and ability to stay focused under pressure was key to their success.

“We are so proud of the athletes and the dedication they showed throughout the weekend,” said the team’s coach. “Their growth and commitment to improvement were evident in every match, and it’s clear that they’ve put in the hard work to get to this point.”

The U13 team, coached by Amanda Caldwell and Sarah Semmler-Smith, competed in the U14 Classic division. They battled through pool play with tough matches, but bounced back in the elimination rounds to win the bronze bracket and finish in ninth place of 16 teams.

The tournament was the first volleyball match ever for several of the players on the U12 team, and they came out strong. The team, coached by Tess Hayes and Brynn Erickson, finished in second place in the U12 division, going 4-1 on the day.

The Keweenaw Volleyball Club’s U13 team: Adele O’Neill, Lily Madosh, Meta Semmler-Smith, Lizzy Crowley, Lily Brentar, Jada Beaudoin, Aubrey Hillstrom, Josie Roth, Ellen Mattila, and Claire Mettlach. Coaches are Amanda Caldwell and Sarah Semmler-Smith. (Photo provided)

Players include: Ava Giachino, Emma Kangas, Anna Koski, Kinsley Kunnen, Hilde Kuntz, Vivian Mattson, Allison Mettlach, Avery Pietila, Ramona Raisanen, and Liandra Williams.

Additional Keweenaw VBC U12-U16 players include: Amira Rauvala, Romy Aldrich, Corinne Rubin, Ann Rouleau, Maci Locatelli, Aliisa Haapala, and Kaitlyn Pennala.