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ESCANABA -- The Bay College Norse kept their fans on the edge of their seasons here Saturday as they rallied past Delta College 3-2 (20-25, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 15-13) in a Michigan Community College Athletic Association North Conference volleyball match.
Bay secured the decision on a Pioneers' hitting error, improving to 10-14 overall and 3-6 in the league.
The victory also enabled the Norse to gain a split in the season series.
"Our energy level was real high," said Superior Central graduate and Norse freshman Riley Johnson, who recorded eight kills. "We had a real good practice before this match. I was pretty confident in our ability to come back. This is very exciting. I'm proud of my teammates."
A kill by freshman middle hitter Kylee Tadisch gave the Norse a 14-13 lead, setting the stage for a nailbiting finish.
Bay was trailing 10-9 before a kill by Johnson tied the score. The teams then traded points before the Norse scored the last two.
"In the first two sets, we had trouble finishing which is a credit to them," said Bay coach Dan Porath. "They did everything they could to keep the momentum. This win is huge for us. It puts us in a more favorable position for the playoffs. We can still get the No. 3 seed, although we have to win our last two regular-season matches to reach that goal."
Saturday's victory took place four days after the Norse clinched a District 12 playoff berth with a 3-0 victory over North Central Michigan College in Petoskey.
"This is definitely a hard conference, but clinching the playoff berth definitely gave us momentum," said Johnson. "It was great to have the Superior Central volleyball team here to support us. I'm very proud of how hard they've been working. They definitely have a lot of potential."
In the fourth set, Delta gained a 24-20 lead on a kill by freshman outside hitter Kayla Basse.
Back-to-back hitting errors then trimmed the Pioneers' lead to 24-22, forcing them to use a time-out.
Tadisch then tipped the ball over the net for a kill, bringing the Norse within 24-23.
Bay took a 25-24 lead before sophomore outside hitter Hanna Edmonds tied the score on a kill.
The Norse, however, regained the lead and clinched that set on a defensive miscue.
Bay was clinging to a 22-21 lead in the third before Johnson provided the North with a kill through a double block for a two-point cushion.
The Pioneers (6-12 overall, 3-5 league) pulled within a point before a kill by Tadisch made it 24-22, moments before the Norse pulled that one out.
"I've been working real hard on my serving," said Gladstone grad and sophomore right side hitter Allie Roman. "I think our team adapted well. Delta is a good team, but I think it helped to have them in our element."
Bay took a 17-12 lead in the second on a Delta hitting error.
The Pioneers drew even at 18 on a block by Basse, then took the lead on a passing error.
Bay went ahead 21-19 on a two-hit violation by the Pioneers.
It was tied at 24 following a Delta net violation, shortly before Basse pushed the ball over the net for a kill and a two-set advantage.
Basse also secured the opener with a kill.
Norse freshman Leah Allan collected 14 kills and 28 digs. Tadisch finished with 12 kills and Gwinn grad Tianna Taylor had 10 kills.
Superior Central grad Emma Rutter added six kills and 16 digs and freshman setter Amber Caylor tallied 46 assists to go with five service aces and 15 digs and Jandt was Bay's defensive leader with 44 digs.
"Leah is a great asset to our team," said Rutter. "I think we just had to remain confidence and our communication picked up in the end. Everybody did her job. Having the support from our former teammates and coaches really helped. We knew we had to play aggressive. We stayed confident and that really helped, but we still have some unfinished business to take care of."
Porath said he was pleased with Roman's serving.
"Allie did a good job," he added. "She did a nice job collecting herself and got the serves we needed."
The Norse visit Alpena Community College Saturday, then host Finlandia University in their regular-season finale Oct. 25.
Bay College -- Caylor (five aces, one kill, 46 assists, 15 digs); Jandt (two aces, 44 digs); Allan (one ace, 14 kills, 28 digs); Sanville (one ace, one kill, 14 digs); Tadisch (12 kills, one dig); Taylor (10 kills, eight assists, one dig); Johnson (eight kills, two digs); Rutter (six kills, 16 digs); Varoni (five digs); Rexford (three digs).