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Area volleyball teams open district play Monday, Tuesday

Gwinn’s Halie Beauchamp, right, hits the ball through the defense of Negaunee’s Natalie Bell, left center, in the second set of their high school volleyball match played Sept. 23 at Lakeview Memorial Gymnasium in Negaunee. Watching is the Miners’ Ada Roelke, far left. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

MARQUETTE — Seven of the area’s 11 high school volleyball teams will be in action on Monday evening, with the other four taking the court against each other on election night Tuesday.

The Monday seven are spread around Divisions 1, 3 and 4, with the Tuesday four going at each other in a Division 3 district hosted by Gwinn.

All of these tournaments will culminate with district champions being crowned on either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.

Marquette kicks off its own Division 1 district hosting four downstate teams with a home match against Alpena at 6 p.m. Monday. Despite the Redettes listed as host, the MHSAA shows they’ll have to go on the road if they win that match to play at Traverse City Central at 6 p.m. Wednesday. If MSHS is successful in both those matches, it comes back home to host the finals against TC Central or Petoskey at 6 p.m. Friday.

In Division 3 at Gwinn, the Modeltowners host Negaunee, Westwood and Ishpeming, though as a nontraditional-format district, all matches will be played on the floor of each match’s combatants.

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Negaunee plays at Westwood and Ishpeming is at Gwinn. The finals will be played at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and will be hosted by Gwinn if the Modeltowners win Tuesday. Otherwise, Ishpeming would play at the Negaunee-Westwood winner at that same time, according to Gwinn athletic director Rob Soyring.

L’Anse is in a Division 3 district hosted by Calumet. The Purple Hornets kick off that tourney by hosting West Iron County at 7 p.m. Monday. A win there keeps L’Anse at home to face Jeffers at 7 p.m. Wednesday, with the title tilt at Calumet or Hancock at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The other Division 3 district involving an area team is hosted by Iron Mountain and begins with Manistique hosting Norway at 6 p.m. Monday. The Emeralds then are listed as hosting Iron Mountain at 6 p.m. Wednesday, though the Mountaineers may end up playing at their gym as the tourney host. With a win there, Manistique would play for the district title at Menominee or Bark River-Harris at 6 p.m. EST Friday.

In Division 4 at Munising, a traditional-style district with all matches played at the Mustangs’ gym, a Monday doubleheader will have Mid Peninsula face Rapid River at 6 p.m. and Munising play Superior Central at 7:30 p.m. Winners return at 7 p.m. Thursday for the district championship.

Baraga also hosts its own district and opens play by hosting Chassell at 6 p.m. Monday. The winner hosts Ontonagon at 6 p.m. Wednesday, with the championship set for 6 p.m. Thursday at Baraga, Dollar Bay or Lake Linden-Hubbell.

Newberry will play in a traditional district hosted by and all matches held at Brimley. The Indians kick things off with a 6 p.m. Monday match against Rudyard, followed by Engadine and Brimley squaring off at 7:30 p.m. Winners advance directly to the finals at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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