LINDEN LAKE — On Thursday night, the Houghton Gremlins volleyball team came alive against a calm and seemingly flat Linden Lake-Hubbell Lakes team. The Gremlin Girls stirred up the water, sinking the lake 25-20, 25-17, 25-17.
“We did a great job of finding opportunities and attacking them.” Gremlins coach Blair Zenner said. “The girls did a good job of controlling the ball and making plays when they weren’t set up well.”
She added that despite some service mistakes, the team provided a strong service. They had 15 aces on the night, led by senior Bryn Arko with seven.
Lakes’ only lead in the match came early in the first set, 6-3. However, the Gremlins tied the score at 8 points and extended their lead to 14-11. Becca Lyons brought Lakes within two points at 18-20, while the Gremlins fought their way to a set victory.
The second set started the same way. Both teams were tied at four points, with the Gremlins holding the lead, but only by a point or two. Lakes was able to tie the game with 13 points thanks to Ali Corrigan. However, Aluko hit aces here and there and scored eight runs, making the match 21-13.
“I couldn’t play in the game tonight.” Lakes coach Jocelyn Perara said. “After that first set, it was like we were in survival mode. We were just thinking about keeping up with them and not thinking about the offense. We had to adapt to their offense. I knew it was there, but I just couldn’t adapt.”
Part of the Gremlins’ offense utilized two middle hitters, Danika Räinanen and Sofia Neves. Räinanen led the team with eight kills, and Neves had six spikes.
In the third set, the Gremlins kept Lakes going, taking a 10-3 lead, and a few minutes later, Aluko led them to a 20-10 lead, winning the set and the match.
“Horton can swing the ball hard, but we didn’t do a good job of building our offense.” Perara said. “We just worked to get them set up.”
next
The Gremlins will travel to Escanaba for a tournament on Saturday.
The Lakes welcome Watersmeet to Linden Lake on Tuesday.Opening serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.