Bark River-Harris senior Hope Varoni (9) passes the ball during a match against Ishpeming Westwood on Sept. 17, 2024 at Bark River-Harris High School. ("The Big Dog" Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

HARRIS — Senior defensive specialist Jillian Koch enjoyed a big night at the service line, helping the Bark River-Harris Broncos post a 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-11) volleyball triumph over the Gwinn Modeltowners in a Division 3 district opener here Monday.

The victory sends BR-H (5-17) to Iron Mountain (6-11) for tonight’s semifinal match at 7 (EST). The Modeltowners finished 1-23-1.

Koch had three lengthy service runs, including one for 10 points which gave the Broncos a 12-3 advantage in the third set.

“Our serving was good tonight,” she said. “We had a lot of communication and our student section was very good. They brought our energy level up for the whole match. Our hitting was also pretty good. We were tipping more when we couldn’t get a hit on the ball.”

The Broncos extended their lead to 16-4 prior to committing a service error.

Gwinn shaved its deficit to 16-7 before the Broncos answered with a 6-2 run, gaining an insurmountable 22-9 advantage on a kill by senior right-side hitter Hope Varoni.

“They came ready to play, but our serving was very consistent and our passes were good,” Varoni said. “I was pretty happy with my serving. I got all my serves in and Jillian really helped us tonight. I’m sure they weren’t looking forward to seeing her at the service line. It feels great to be moving on. We’re looking forward to Wednesday.”

Koch provided BR-H with a five-point run for a 23-14 cushion in the first set of their final home appearance this season.

“Hope is a good athlete,” Koch said. “She’s a good supporter of our team. They (Gwinn) were a challenge. They put up a good fight.”

Sophomore middle blocker Emma Zawada recorded two kills, including a tip kill which gave the Broncos their nine-point advantage, and junior outside hitter Dakota Bridges added a kill during that run.

“Jillian is aggressive at the service line,” BR-H coach Brooke Anderson said. “It definitely changed the momentum when she was serving. Our girls played scrappy and kept the ball in play. Hope is a vital part of our team. Her leadership is invaluable. Gwinn definitely put up a fight. They got aggressive at the net in the second and third sets and kept us on our toes. We haven’t seen Iron Mountain this year. We’ll definitely be watching film on them and see what we need to do.”

The Modeltowners excited their fans in the opener by taking a 5-4 lead on a BR-H hitting error.

BR-H then surged to an 11-5 lead on an ace by sophomore defensive specialist Mira Johnson.

The Broncos led 17-10 following a net violation on the Modeltowners.

Gwinn, however, closed within 17-14 on a block by sophomore Adeline Derwin.

“We pulled her up for districts and it made a difference in our front row,” Gwinn coach Jessica Stansky said. “The girls showed up at the net. They were excited to play, and we focused on keeping our energy up. Our libero was missing due to the flu. We had some very young girls in the back row, but they got a taste of it tonight. They just have to put in the time during the off-season. They’ve got to want it.”

Gwinn was still within 22-18, then got foiled by three miscues including a service error to end the second set.

Junior Alli Malette led the Modeltowners with 12 kills. Derwin added seven kills and two blocks and junior Avri Pfluger had three kills.