Austin Hemmingson | Daily Press Superior Central’s Riley Johnson (3) jumps to hit the ball over the net Monday at Mid Peninsula.

ST. NICHOLAS — Superior Central rallied to win the first set and went on to sweep Big Bay de Noc here in a volleyball district opener Monday.

The Cougars won the match 3-0 (27-25, 25-17, 25-22), using a resilient effort in the first set as a spark to victory. They trailed 24-20 before rallying back to tie the score at 25 and eventually won by two.

“That first set was huge for us,” Cougars’ coach Kris Bray said. “We stayed up, we kept communicating. In the past we would get down in those situations but tonight we did a much better job.”

The Cougars (2-12) rode that momentum from the first set to a more convincing win in the second game. The third set provided a challenge for both teams, as the game went back-and-forth multiple times.

The Black Bears (1-11) led 21-18 before the Cougars again rallied to score seven of the last eight points to win the match and advance.

“We had a really good attitude tonight,” Bray said. “We were being a lot more aggressive on offense and we played to win. In the past, sometimes we were playing not to lose.”

Samantha Thompson led the Cougars with seven aces, six blocks and six kills. Katrina Augustyn had 15 assists and six aces, while Riley Johnson chipped in with four kills, three aces, and one block.

The Black Bears could never recover after the first set.

“That first set was a tough loss,” said Black Bears’ coach Angie Paulson. “When you’re that close, and then you lose, it kind of drains all of your momentum and energy.”

“We gave them five points at the end and it was just too much to recover from. It hurt our confidence and we had a tough time coming back in the second set. I was pleased with our effort in the third set but then our emotions got the best of us. That was the story of the night, we had too many unforced errors.”

Meagan Yonker paced the Black Bears with 21 digs, six assists, six aces and five kills. Rylie Lawrence chipped in with seven assists, three kills, and a pair of aces and digs. Holli Stapleton added six digs and two kills, while Larissa Jones had 10 digs.

The Cougars move on to face Rapid River in the district semis Thursday at Mid Peninsula. The game will take place at roughly 7:30 p.m., following the opener of the doubleheader between Mid Pen and Munising at 6 p.m.