Superior Central’s Emma Rondeau, right, attacks while Munising’s Michaela Werner, left, and Kiera Stampfly defend on Thursday night at Superior Central High School. (Journal photo by Rachel Oakley)

“Being down five or six (points) means nothing to them as long as they can get some momentum.” — Kris Bray, Superior Central head coach, on her players’ confidence

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EBEN — Heading into Thursday’s match, it had been a some time since the Superior Central volleyball team had toppled Munising.

That streak ended as the Cougars came from behind to defeat the Mustangs in five sets, 30-28, 17-25, 19-25, 26-24, 16-14.

After Munising rattled off five straight points in the fifth set to tie the score at 14-14, the Cougars got back-to-back kills to win the match and the celebration began on the SC bench.

According to Cougars head coach Kris Bray, it had been three years since SC had beaten Munising and she seemed relieved that her squad finally tamed the Mustangs.

“It seems like forever since we beat them,” Bray said with a laugh. “We didn’t give up tonight. Even when we were down, we didn’t give up. They know that if they communicate well, they can come back. Being down five or six means nothing to them as long as they can get some momentum. It definitely wasn’t easy, but we did it.”

Emma Rondeau led the Cougars with 26 kills, while Taylor Silta had 38 assists and Jaelynn Klyk 31 digs.

On the Munising side, there was a sense of disbelief as the Mustangs had three chances to put the Cougars away in the fourth set, but couldn’t finish the job.

“A lot of things went wrong for us,” Munising head coach Ted Williams said. “I think at times, we were just trying too hard and things just weren’t flowing. There was definitely a lack of communication on some key plays and we just didn’t bring our ‘A’ game. I was afraid that something like this would happen, but I’m glad it happened tonight instead of in the playoffs.”

Those playoffs are coming quickly as the only Class D district quarterfinal match of the tournament hosted by Rapid River will be at 7 p.m. Monday.

On Thursday, Kianne Wendt had 25 kills for MHS, while Kelsea and Marissa Ackerman had four aces apiece. Marissa Ackerman led Munising defensively with 13 digs, with Kelsea Ackerman and Wendt each had 12.

The match was the epitome of a back-and-forth affair. In the opening set, the teams either tied or exchanged leads several times before the Cougars got two straight points to take the set.

Munising took control for the next two sets. In the second set, the Mustangs went on a 9-0 run to take a 22-14 advantage, highlighted by two kills from Wendt and an ace by Kelsea Ackerman. Just a couple of minutes later, Munising took the set.

In the third, the Mustangs held a 16-9 lead after an ace from Emily Contreras. After SC put together a short rally to pull within four at 19-15, Munising used a kill from Wendt and a block from Cheyenne Graves to maintain its advantage and win the frame.

The fourth set was similar to the first as it was a seesaw battle throughout. SC led 21-19 at one point after an ace from Silta, but Munising caught fire and was on the cusp of winning the match at 24-23. However, the Cougars fought back and rattled off three straight points to force a fifth set.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.