The Flivvers prevailed 25-7, 25-20, 25-20 at the Barb Crill Gymnasium.

While the Sentinels entered the match ranked No. 4 in the U.P. and left with a 14-12 record, Kingsford now at 29-4 came in as a strong No. 2, nearly overtaking top-ranked Calumet that has been No. 1 throughout the fall, missing the Copper Kings by a single vote this week.

With just one week left in the regular season, teams across the state are looking ahead to MHSAA district tournaments that open on Monday, Nov. 4. Marquette is in Division 1 and Kingsford in Division 2.

Fresh off a sweep at Gladstone two nights earlier, the Sentinels struggled early against the relentless Flivvers attack before showing resilience in the second and third sets, keeping that pat of the match competitive.

Marquette’s Jaylee Dellies bumps the ball in the third set with her team trailing 13-8 in a Great Northern Conference volleyball match played against Kingsford at the Barb Crill Gymnasium in Marquette on Thursday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

“We fought a good battle against a strong Kingsford team,” Marquette head coach Melissa Butler said in an email. “We started out slow in the first set but quickly got back on our game the following two sets. As a team, I think we did well … and we learned a lot from our mistakes.”

Kingsford came out firing, quickly establishing a 5-3 lead in the first set. Despite MSHS calling a timeout in the middle of a run, the Flivvers rattled off six more points in a row to go up 11-3.

The Sentinels struggled to find their rhythm as Kingsford’s strong serving and consistent defense pushed the score to 17-3 before the Sentinels could score again. Despite a good plays on defense, Marquette couldn’t make much of a dent in this opening set.

Marquette seemed to have a lot more energy to start the second set, though Kingsford continued to apply pressure. KHS opened with a 4-1 lead before Marquette started to push back.

A spike by Ava Maki helped the Sentinels stay within 9-5, but the Flivvers’ offensive prowess, led by Maddy Kreider, kept them in control. Despite closing to within 17-14, Marquette couldn’t keep the momentum going, and Kingsford pulled away to win the set by five points.

Kingsford’s Kailey Sundquist celebrates after the Flivvers score a point in the first set of a Great Northern Conference volleyball match played against Marquette at the Barb Crill Gymnasium in Marquette on Thursday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

Marquette took its first lead of the night early in the third set, rolling up a 5-3 advantage after an out-of-bounds play by Kingsford.

Then the Flivvers regained control, with Kreider continuing to dominate at the net. A key block by the Sentinels’ Jocelyn Mead brought the home team within 20-15, but Kingsford stayed strong while inching closer to the win.

Marquette kept fighting and closed its deficit to 22-20, but the Flivvers scored the final three points for a second consecutive 25-20 set score.

In this upcoming final week of the regular season, the Sentinels have just one match, a home encounter against Escanaba at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, while Kingsford has completed its schedule.

Marquette hosts MHSAA District No. 1 out of 128 districts around the state in four divisions. Alpena, Gaylord and Petoskey join MSHS in this “nontraditional” Division 1 bracket — meaning matches are played at one of the teams involved in each match rather than having them all played at the host site.

Kingsford is in a nontraditional bracket in Division 2 that Gladstone hosts and also includes Negaunee, Escanaba and Houghton.

Matchups in these tourneys have not been released by the MHSAA, likely due to seeding requirements as it wants to go as long as possible in the regular season before determining the top seeds.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.