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IRONWOOD -- Five area schools earned votes in top-five voting in a pair of polls ranking top Upper Peninsula volleyball squads conducted by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
The poll, released Monday, was the first one of the season with a majority of the ranked teams already having played at least 10 matches. Teams are split into their MSHAA divisions, Divisions 1-3 and Division 4.
In Divisions 1-3, Negaunee is 8-3 and ranked No. 4, while Gwinn at 7-5-1 just missed the top five.
The Miners received 13 voting points from the five voters on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, while Gwinn had two.
Calumet (6-5) heads up this first D 1-3 ranking with 20 votes and four of the five first-place votes. Kingsford (7-1) was right behind at No. 2 with 19 votes, while Houghton (7-1) was third with 16 votes while receiving the other first-place marker.
Jeffers (3-2) was fifth with five votes, just edging out Gwinn for the last spot in the top five.
In Division 4, Baraga is the top area squad in third. The Vikings are a perfect 13-0 and received 13 votes.
Ishpeming was next in fourth. The Hematites are 4-1-1 and had 12 votes. And Newberry took fifth with an 8-2-2 record and four votes.
That polling was topped by Hancock (11-2-1) with 24 voting points and four first-place votes, while Forest Park (10-2-1) was No. 2 with 21 points and the other first-place tally.
In addition, Lake Linden-Hubbell (6-3) received one vote while just missing the top five.
In matches involving area ranked teams today, Negaunee plays at Houghton at 6:45 p.m., Newberry is at Brimley at 7 p.m., while Gwinn travels to Menominee for an 8 p.m. EDT match.
On Saturday, Newberry is scheduled for the Rudyard Invitational, then on Tuesday, Ishpeming is at Calumet at 6:30 p.m., Gwinn hosts Westwood at 7 p.m., Newberry hosts Rudyard at 7 p.m. and Baraga hosts Jeffers at 7 p.m.
Story contents based on an email received from the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.