View from the Corner Desk

Making her job look easy

After every bump passed her way, Gwinn setter Becky Keilholtz has a decision to make on the volleyball court.

Should she set the ball to Stephanie Bahrman, a tall, strong attacker who puts fear into opposing defenses and who hopes to continue her volleyball career at the Division 2 level of college? Or does she set the ball in the opposite direction, letting Stephanie Ridolphi, Emily Erickson, or any number of talented Modeltowners go for the attack.

Either way, Bahrman makes the play work.

"Everybody is kind of scared of her, so it’s kind of nice,” Keilhotz said after Gwinn won a second straight district title with a 3-0 victory over Negaunee. “Everybody kind of flinches, or like backs off to her. So that opens up the other sides for me to set, and for them to get the ball down. I have confidence in everyone.”

While Bahrman certainly makes Gwinn a contender in every match it plays, without help from her teammates, it would be a one woman show, a fact she readily acknowledges.

"Everyone contributed tonight,” Bahrman said. “We have a great setter. Our outsides really pick it up. Our defense is so good. Thy run everywhere to try to get everything up.”

But it's not just in the front row where Bahrman excels. While she had 10 kills and four blocks while playing at the net, she played equally strong on the back row, scooping 10 digs.

“She’s all around a great player,” her coach, Lindsey Lato added. “She makes her teammates better. They kind of follow here momentum as she gets into the rhythm of the game. We follow her. It’s really helpful that she’s leading us the whole season and hopefully throughout the rest of the tournament.”

Photos of Gwinn, Negaunee and Ishpeming can be found at The Mining Journal's CU site. A district wrapup will run in Thursday's paper.