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MARQUETTE -- They battled right to the end.
Despite all that, the Escanaba Eskymos were unable to avoid dropping a 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-20) volleyball decision to the Marquette Sentinels here Thursday night.
For the Sentinels this was a reversal of fortune from the first meeting in Escanaba Aug. 26 when they fell to the Eskymos in straight sets.
"They wanted revenge," Esky coach Bev Ziebell said. "Their student section was huge tonight. We just have to work on eliminating the errors. I think our serve receives were all right and our defense was good, but we couldn't get the blocks up tonight. We also had too many missed serves and hitting errors. We're trying to work on our mental toughness. We just have to clean up our hitting and serving."
In the third set, a kill by Esky junior Mara Anderson tied the score at 19.
Marquette then got a sideout on a block by senior Claire Parent and a hitting miscue by Eskymos enabled the Sentinels to gain a 21-19 lead.
Junior Laine Hruska added a block and Parent and senior Grace Fillizetti provided Marquette with kills for a 24-19 advantage.
The Sentinels then committed a service error before a kill by Fillizetti sealed the verdict.
"They figured it out," Marquette coach Heather Concha said. "We've been working at that. It had been an uphill battle, but in every match the girls are showing signs of improvement."
Esky took a 12-11 lead on a hitting miscue by the Sentinels.
The Eskymos, however, committed a net violation and a kill and block gave Marquette a 14-12 lead.
Esky surged to an 18-15 lead on a kill by senior Sarah Carter, but a service error foiled the Eskymos and Parent recorded another kill to bring Marquette within 18-17.
The Eskymos then committed hitting and passing errors, enabling the Sentinels to regain the lead at 19-18.
In the second set, the Eskymos took a 7-6 lead on a kill by Carter and extended it to three points on back-to-back passing miscues by the Sentinels.
Esky extended its lead to 12-8 before a serving miscue enabled Marquette to get a sideout.
Junior Elsie Talvensaari then provided the Sentinels with a five-point service run for a 14-12 lead on an Esky service error.
It was nip-n-tuck through the remainder of that set with the Sentinels gaining a 24-22 edge on Talvensaari's tip for a kill.
A block by LeMire shaved Esky's deficit to 24-23 before senior Preslie Mason ending that set with a kill.
"Our seniors in the front row have found a rhythm that works," Concha said. "Their passing is consistent and Eva Nystrom has been working on her defense."
Esky junior Bella Wells hit three service aces to go with 13 digs. Carter added two aces, seven kills and 10 digs. Senior Brooklyn Beauchamp collected five kills and six digs. Anderson finished with three kills, two blocks and six digs and LeMire had four kills, a block and nine digs.
The Eskymos host Iron Mountain Monday and the Sentinels visit Gwinn Tuesday.
Escanaba -- Wells (three aces, one assist, 13 digs); Carter (two aces, seven kills, three assists, 10 digs); Beauchamp (one ace, five kills, six digs); LeMire (one ace, four kills, one block, nine digs); Derkos (one ace, five assists, six digs); Anderson (three kills, two blocks, six digs); Fitzpatrick (two kills); Mylander (one kill, one dig); Thompson (one assist, five digs); Reimer (one dig).