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Munising Mustangs volleyball team sweeps North Central Jets after slow start

Munising’s Taylin Behning bumps the ball while Mustang’ coach Josh Cole looks on during a Skyline Central Conference volleyball match played against North Central at Powers on Monday. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Austin Hemmingson)

POWERS — Sometimes in volleyball all you need is a little bit of momentum. That proved to be the case here Monday as Munising overcame a sluggish start to win the first set and carry that momentum to a three-set sweep of North Central.

The Mustangs won 26-24, 25-19, 25-17.

MHS (3-8) created some separation in the first set after the score was tied 9-9. A few points later, Ainsley Bonevelle went on a five-point service run to turn a 14-12 lead into a 19-12 cushion.

However, the Jets (0-11) fought back and tied the score 21-21 after an ace by Andie Arsenault. The Mustangs called timeout to regroup and scored the next three points, but a service error gave possession back to the Jets.

Back-to-back points behind the serving of Jasmine Walters tied it again at 24-24, but Munising hung on after a Jets’ hit out of bounds and a kill by Taylin Behning.

“I just felt all night our effort was kind of inconsistent, so it was good to see us closing out that first set,” Mustangs’ coach Josh Cole said. “Closing sets in general was good to see tonight as far as effort. We definitely need to stabilize that effort and be more consistent throughout.”

Each team traded short service runs early in the second frame to knot the score at 13. The Mustangs created some separation to gain a 20-15 advantage before the Jets pulled within 21-19. Munising then got possession back and finished the set with a three-point run by Logan Peters.

“I felt like until halfway through that first set we never had any life,” Jets’ coach Rick Mick said. “I don’t think Munising had their best tonight, but at the same time I’d like to think that maybe we were the cause of that.”

The Mustangs led 9-8 in the third set before Behning went on a five-point service run. Back-to-back aces made it 14-8, forcing the Jets into a timeout. North Central again fought back and pulled within 15-13 on a kill by Arsenault, but the Mustangs maintained their lead until it was 23-17, setting the stage for Sophia Rolfe to finish the match with back-to-back aces.

Munising finished with 19 aces.

“(Serving) is usually one of our strong points, and that’s something we like to focus on — own your rotation, and score as many points as you can in your rotation,” Cole said. “I want to give props to North Central. We seen them 2 1/2 weeks ago, and they made great improvement from what we seen 2 1/2 weeks ago.”

The Mustangs’ Megan Matson finished with 17 assists, 10 digs and two aces, while Behning had seven kills, 13 digs and two aces. Bonevelle added eight aces, eight digs, five assists and two kills, while Crystal Murdock had seven kills and two aces.

In addition, Munising’s Sofia Rolfe had three aces and two kills and Logan Peters 12 digs.

Munising, which won the JV match 2-0, hosts Superior Central Thursday during homecoming week. The Jets host Superior Central at 7:30 p.m. EDT today.

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