Matt McCarthy | Iron Mountain Daily News North Central’s Sam Burton (15) makes a play on the ball in the first set of a Skyline Central Conference volleyball match versus North Dickinson, Thursday night at the Carl F. Lemin Jr. Gymnasium in Felch. North Central’s Mady Bemis (7), as well as North Dickinson’s Isabella Reimer (lower left) look on.

FELCH TOWNSHIP — A solid all-around performance powered the home team to a straight-set victory, as North Dickinson swept North Central, 3-0 (25-12, 25-8, 25-14) in a Skyline Central Conference match Thursday night at the Carl F. Lemin Jr. Gymnasium in Felch.

The Nordics had a constant and enthusiastic presence around the net throughout the match. Their communication was great, their serving was accurate, and their front row hitting was very strong — which had the Jets reeling throughout most of the match.

“Tonight was a great night for us. We were able to get everyone some playing time, which meant as different girls entered the game, they were coming in with enthusiasm,” said North Dickinson head coach Taylor Johnson. “The girls looked happy to be back on the court.”

The Nordics had to reschedule two matches, as their team dealt with some COVID-19 issues but are back to full strength.

“We came back a lot stronger than I expected. I was worried that our time off would mess up our timing and rhythm on the court, but it didn’t seem to,” Johnson added. “I am also very proud of how well we ran our offense tonight and kept North Central on their toes tonight.”

Kassandra Cary had 10 kills, with Ashton Hord recording a half dozen kills of her own. Cary had six aces, Gabby Schultz had three aces, Lily Depotie had four, and Isabella Reimer also had three aces for the Nordics.

The Jets served well at times in the game and had fairly strong communication. NC came out and played their best set of the night in the opening set.

“That’s a normal thing for us. Usually, we play our best set of the night in the first set,” said Jets head coach Rick Mick. “Our defense at the net was good for the most part, though we struggled with defending No. 3 (Cary). She’s so explosive up front for them (ND). Plus, our back row started to pick up some of their hits as the match wore on.”

North Central, who remains winless on the season, returns to action on Tuesday when they host SCC for Mid Peninsula before hosting Rapid River on Thursday.

“Our serve receive has been improving in each match as the season has gone along, and I am happy to see that,” Mick added.

North Dickinson, who remains home as they’ll host SCC for Munising on Thursday, also won the JV contest, 2-1.