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IRONWOOD -- Negaunee made the only move up by any team in this week's Upper Peninsula high school volleyball polls released Monday and conducted by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
The only move in either the Divisions 1-3 or Division 4 rankings from Week 1 to Week 2 occurred when the Miners leapfrogged Houghton for No. 3 in D 1-3.
Negaunee improved to 12-4 by winning five of six matches in the past week, including three victories at the downstate Kingsley Invitational on Sept. 12, and later regular match triumphs over Escanaba and Houghton.
Gwinn couldn't quite crack the top five as the only team in the "others receiving votes" category. The Modeltowners improved to 10-5-1 with two out of three wins at The Rock tourney hosted by Gladstone on Sept. 12, then adding a regular match victory at Menominee since then.
In Division 4, three area teams follow No. 1 Hancock and No. 2 Forest Park.
Baraga (14-0) is No. 3 after notching five wins without a loss at its own Baraga Invitational on Sept. 12, then adding a regular match win at L'Anse since.
Ishpeming (5-1-1) remained at No. 4 with a tough five-set victory at home over Gladstone during the past week.
And Newberry (11-2-2) stayed at No. 5 with wins at Engadine and Brimley last week and a two-set split with Escanaba at a tourney on Saturday.
Calumet (9-7) solidified its hold on the top spot in Divisions 1-3, now unanimous with all five first-place votes, after winning a majority of its matches at a pair of out-of-state tournaments during the past 10 days -- four of five matches at the Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, Invitational on Sept. 12, and two of three at the Duluth, Minnesota, Invite on Saturday.
The Copper Kings also lost to Hancock in a five-setter and defeated Forest Park in four sets between those events.
Kingsford (9-1) stayed at No. 2 with three-set home victories over Menominee and Marquette in the past week.
Houghton (8-3) fell behind Negaunee into No. 4 after losing to Forest Park in four sets and the Miners in three sets, while also defeating North Dickinson in the past week.
Jeffers (5-2) rounded out the top five in fifth with wins over Chassell and Dollar Bay last week.
In Division 4, Hancock (12-2-1) did the same as the Copper Kings, shoring up its dominance to now take every first-place vote after winning four and splitting a two-set encounter with host Gladstone at The Rock Invite on Sept. 12, then adding that tough five-set victory at D 1-3 No. 1 Calumet afterward.
Forest Park (17-3-1) didn't hurt its cause, triumphing in four of five at The Rock and winning all five at its own invitational on Saturday. Between them, the Trojans defeated North Dickinson and Houghton while losing to Calumet in regular matches.
This week's schedule for area teams includes just about a full slate tonight -- Westwood at Gwinn, Houghton at Marquette, Ishpeming at Calumet, Munising at Rapid River, Norway at Superior Central, L'Anse at Ironwood, Jeffers at Baraga, and Rudyard at Newberry.
On Thursday, Gwinn is at Negaunee, Escanaba at Marquette, North Dickinson at Munising, Superior Central at Mid Peninsula, L'Anse at Jeffers, Newberry at St. Ignace, and Manistique at Bark River-Harris.
Next Monday, Ishpeming hosts Munising.
Story contents based on an email received from the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association and an examination of the Michigan High School Athletic Association website at mhsaa.com. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.