WEST ISHPEMING — Bark River-Harris reached the end of its post-season journey here Tuesday night in a 3-0 (25-10, 25-22, 25-14) volleyball loss to the Calumet Copper Kings in a Division 3 regional opener.

The victory sends Calumet to tonight’s regional final at Manistique where it will meet Elk Rapids in a 6 p.m. match.

After the Broncos mounted a challenge in the second set, the Copper Kings wasted little time taking charge in the third.

“I think we just had to refocus and push through,” said Calumet sophomore Madelyn Torola. “We came out with more urgency in the third set. They were scrappy. They definitely challenged us.”

Calumet quickly built an 8-1 lead in the finale before the Broncos shaved their deficit to 8-4 on a defensive error.

A kill by sophomore Allison Bjorne provided Calumet with a sideout and a five-point cushion.

The Broncos, making their first regional appearance since 2005, were within 15-8 following a kill by senior Carley Varoni.

Calumet, however, didn’t allow them to get any closer.

“Carley is a good player,” said Calumet coach Katie Bonacorsi. “She’s a nice setter, too. We were able to see them at Manistique. We kind of knew what to expect.”

Calumet gained a seemingly-comfortable 18-10 lead on a kill by Torolo in the second set,

The Broncos, however, climbed within 19-18 on a block by junior Lauren Zawada.

BR-H was within 24-22 when Varoni tipped the ball over the net for a kill. The Broncos, however, were unable to close that set.

“The girls responded and played well in the third set,” said Bonacorsi. “We had some return errors in the second set. They’re a good team. They put together some nice attacks during that stretch.”

In the opener, Calumet gained an 10-3 advantage in the first set on a Broncos’ hitting error.

The Broncos were within 14-7 following a Copper Kings’ hitting miscue.

Bjorne’s tip kill extended Calumet’s lead to 17-7 prior to committing a hitting miscue and giving BR-H a sideout.

“I think we were a little shell-shocked in the first set,” said BR-H coach Jen Ives. “Although, they didn’t really have an answer for our offense in Game 2. We hoped some of what we had at Manistique (in Friday’s 3-1 victory) would carry over. We needed to get over our nerves and did better in the second set, but when they attacked we kind of backed off.”

Calumet continued to pull away, clinching the opener on a kill by sophomore Jackie Kiilunen.

“One of the differences is they’ve been here before,” said Ives. “We hadn’t been here since 2005. Kudos to Calumet. They’re a fantastic team.”

Senior Helen Bering led the Copper Kings with 18 kills and Bjorne added 10.