Olivia Stanchina, right, of Norway goes for the ball as Manistique's Delaney Zellar readies to block during their MHSAA Division 3 district tournament volleyball match on Monday night in Manistique. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Todd Rose)

MANISTIQUE — Manistique’s volleyball season will continue after they beat the Norway Knights in three straight sets on Monday night in the first round of the MHSAA Division 3 district tournament at the Emeralds’ gym.

Manistique prevailed 25-15, 25-7, 25-9.

Helmed by Hannah Burklund, the Knights scored five straight points early to take a 5-1 lead in the first set.

The teams traded short runs until it was tied 15-15. That’s when Manistique senior libero Madison Zellar spearheaded a 10-point run — including three aces — to claim the set.

Zellar got the second set underway with the same momentum with a four-point run and two more aces. It was an eight-point run led, again, by Zellar that sealed set two for Manistique.

Zellar’s stellar night continued as she helped end the match by piloting the Emeralds on a five-point run that included back-to-back aces three times in the final set.

“I feel great,” Zellar exclaimed immediately after the match. “I’m very glad that my team could keep getting my points and backing me up so I could keep serving. We had a really good night all around, everyone did great.”

In her third year on the varsity squad and second as libero, Zellar says the pressure of serving and long runs no longer gets to her.

“I’m not really fazed by it anymore,” she said. “I just like to start hot and stay hot. I just think every point could be closer to my last point and it’s my last season. So I just have to keep fighting as much as I can and cheer on my teammates so we all do good.”

Emeralds coach Amy Nixon was pleased with her team’s performance, citing a quick offense as a key factor in putting pressure on the Knights. Every game this year has built up to this moment, according to the coach.

“I feel it’s been an all-season thing,” Nixon said. “The effort on the court is 100 percent all the time.”

Nixon also spoke about Zellar’s performance.

“She has been a rock star all year,” Nixon said. “To have a libero who can serve as well as she can is really an asset to our team. Her attitude and her work ethic speaks volumes about her character.”

Another Emerald putting on a strong performance was Kayla Muth, who made several crucial plays at the net.

“It is a huge relief and confidence-builder booster for everybody else to have a girl like her around them,” Nixon said.

In a season of uncertainty, the Knights were thrown several curveballs in just the last couple of weeks.

“We came off of two weeks of not being able to play, which was really tough for us,” Knights coach Erika Harnden said. “We also lost our setter in the meantime.”

While the Knights were able to meet for a short practice over the weekend, it was limited by current COVID-related restrictions.

The Emeralds visit Iron Mountain today in the district semifinals.