GLADSTONE — The volleyball team at Marquette Senior High School improved its season record to 5-9 with a hard-fought five-set victory at Gladstone on Tuesday evening.

The Sentinels came out victorious, 25-14, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-11, going up after one set, then falling behind after three sets, before pulling out the final two sets.

“Marquette came away with a hard-fought win over Gladstone in a tight five-set battle,” Sentinels head coach Melissa Butler said in an email detailing the result. “The team demonstrated great focus and determination throughout the match, remaining composed during challenging stretches and working together to secure the victory.

“It was a strong team effort from start to finish.”

Gladstone had a three-match winning streak snapped and dropped to 8-10 after the loss.

MSHS was scheduled to play its next match at its home Barb Crill Gymnasium against Great Northern Conference foe Menominee on Thursday night.

Then Marquette hosts the Sentinel Invitational on Saturday morning, with opponents scheduled to include the Braves again, along with Gwinn, Houghton, Hancock, Bark River-Harris and Traverse City Central.

Next week, the third-to-last week of the regular season, has Marquette playing at Manistique on Thursday.

Leaders still

unanimous

This week’s Upper Peninsula high school volleyball poll released by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association features the same two teams atop the Divisions 1-3 and Division 4 rankings, each a unanimous No. 1.

Kingsford improved to 13-0 to lead the way in D 1-3, getting all three first-place votes and 15 voting points.

Houghton (7-4) slipped from second to fourth with eight polling points after suffering two losses last week at Ishpeming and at home to Hancock. The Gremlins also lost in three straight sets at Calumet on Tuesday, which isn’t reflected in this week’s poll.

The Copper Kings (12-9-1) moved up to No. 2 with 10 votes, while Negaunee (13-5-2) improved a spot to No. 3 with nine points.

Last week, the Miners split a pair of five-setters, defeating Hancock at home and falling at No. 1 Kingsford, including 15-13 in the fifth set. Negaunee also downed Manistique in four sets at home on Tuesday, again not reflected in this week’s rankings.

In Division 4, Forest Park (29-1) remained a unanimous No. 1 with all three first-place votes and 15 polling points.

Hancock (16-3-2) stayed at No. 2 with 12 points, Ishpeming (14-4-2) remained at No. 3 with nine points, and Lake Linden-Hubbell (19-3) held steady at No. 4 with six points.

The No. 5 position is getting quite crowded. Whereas Munising (12-6-1) held that position alone a week ago, now two interlopers share the spot as each had one voting point — Ewen-Trout Creek (9-2) and Wakefield-Marenisco (16-7).

On Saturday, the Hematites played five two-set matches at the Escanaba Elks Invite, going 2-2-1 with sweeps of Manistique and BR-H, a tie (1-1 split) vs. Sault Ste. Marie, and losses to Forest Park, the first a tough 27-25 defeat, and the host Eskymos.

Munising lost in four sets at Forest Park on Oct. 2 and defeated North Central in three sets on Monday.

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