MARQUETTE — Marquette took a four-set loss at Escanaba on Tuesday evening as the Sentinels volleyball team has entered the final week of the regular season.

The Eskymos prevailed 26-24, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19 to improve to 15-11-1 as Marquette fell to 9-15-1.

“(It was a) great match overall for Marquette as a team,” MSHS head coach Melissa Butler said in an email detailing the result. “We took a loss to Escanaba but showed strong resilience and teamwork throughout the match.

“The players battled hard in every set and continued to support one another, demonstrating growth and determination.”

Including play against three teams at the Clash of the Divisions in Kingsford on Oct. 18, the Sentinels have lost six matches in a row, the majority against top-five teams in the Upper Peninsula.

Marquette had one more regular-season scheduled for Thursday at U.P. No. 2 Kingsford (19-2), then continues on to the MHSAA Division 1 district tournament, playing at Petoskey (21-13-1) at 5 p.m. Monday.

U.P. poll

The second-to-last weekly high school poll conducted by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association was released on Wednesday with Calumet and Forest Park remaining atop their respective divisions.

The Copper Kings (20-10-1) stayed at the top in Divisions 1-3, a week after they ascended there by beating Kingsford at the Clash of the Divisions.

Calumet isn’t quite unanimous, though, receiving three of the four first-place votes with the No. 2 Flivvers getting the other one. The Copper Kings also have the narrowest of margins, 14-13, in total voting points over Kingsford.

Negaunee (18-8-4) remains a solid third with nine points, though the Miners lost a five-setter to Gladstone on Tuesday that came after the U.P. voting was conducted.

Houghton (9-7) stayed in fourth with six voting points and Manistique (16-9-3) in fifth with three. Last week, the Emeralds beat Menominee in a three-setter at home and defeated Cheboygan in a four-setter on the other side of the Mackinac Bridge. Manistique also lost a four-setter at Brimley on Tuesday that wouldn’t have affected this week’s tallies.

In Division 4, Forest Park (36-1) has stayed a unanimous choice at the top all season, and still is with a perfect 15 voting points.

Hancock (24-3-2) remained at No. 2 with 12 points and Ishpeming (19-5-2) at No. 3 with nine. The Hematites swept their matches over Westwood and Negaunee at the WIN meet and also defeated North Central last week, then had a win over Gwinn on Tuesday that isn’t reflected in the U.P. vote.

There was a flip-flop at the bottom of the D-4 rankings, with Wakefield-Marenisco (19-7) moving up to fourth and Lake Linden-Hubbell (22-5) moving down to fifth, W-M getting five votes and LL-H three.

The other team receiving a vote but just missing the top five is Munising (16-6-1) with one vote. The Mustangs won three-set sweeps at Rapid River and Stephenson last week, also taking out Norway in five sets on Tuesday that might help MHS in next week’s voting.

Story contents based on email received from Marquette head coach Melissa Butler and the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.