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GLADSTONE -- The Negaunee Miners gained a share of the Mid-Peninsula Conference volleyball title at Gladstone's expense as they handed the Braves a 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-20) loss here Tuesday night.
Negaunee also got a little help from Gwinn, which defeated Ishpeming in four sets Tuesday, forcing a three-way tie for the league title.
"The Gwinn girls sometimes get overlooked, but they come to play," Negaunee coach Krista Squires said. "Their program has come a long way."
Gladstone coach Kaitlyn Crow said she was also pleased with the Braves' effort on Senior Night.
"Our girls put up a good fight," she added. "There was a lot of emotion with this being Senior Night. "Our seniors have been a big part of this program since they were freshmen. We hadn't seen Negaunee all year. I think we benefitted from seeing them tonight."
Negaunee returns to Gladstone for a rematch in the Division 2 district opener Monday night.
"Gladstone has a good team," Squires said. "They have a lot of seniors like we do. They have eight seniors and we have nine. I can't put in words to describe what these girls have meant to our program."
Senior Izzy Francisco set the school record for digs at the end of the second set. She now has more than 800 through her career.
"This feels very rewarding," she said. "It's a great feeling to see all the hard work pay off. They (Gladstone) play their best when they play us. Ishpeming has come on strong. They've been playing well lately and Gwinn has really come on. We're excited. The tournaments bring more energy. We've got to leave everything on the court."
A five-point service run by senior Lilia Mason helped the Miners gain the upper hand in the third set.
The Braves led 15-14 before the Miners tied the score on a passing error.
Gladstone followed with an additional passing miscue and called time-out when Negaunee's lead reached three points.
Miners' senior Keira Waterman then tipped the ball over the net for a four-point cushion and a service ace by Mason made it 20-15.
After Gladstone got a sideout, senior Isla Engstrom provided Negaunee with a sideout prior to adding another point for a 22-16 advantage.
Negaunee went up 24-18 on a kill by junior Sydney Rasanen, then secured the decision on a kill by Mason.
"I think this gives us momentum going into the district," Squires said. "They've got big kids. They're tall at the net."
The Braves scored the first three points and led 7-4 in the second set.
Negaunee tied the score at seven on a kill by Mason before the Braves regained the lead on a kill by senior Mercedes Koski.
Gladstone gained an 11-9 lead on a kill by senior Adele Ostlund.
The Miners, however, surged ahead 13-12 on an ace by senior Brielle Anderson.
A hitting miscue by the Miners enabled Gladstone to close within 24-23 before a kill by Rasanen ended that set.
"I think our blocks were a little off tonight," Crow said. "We'll work on that in practice. Our seniors performed well. They've been building our program since they were freshmen."
Back-to-back aces by Mason gave the Miners a 7-2 lead in the opener.
Gladstone shaved its deficit to 7-4 on a hitting error by the Miners.
The Braves were within 8-5 before the Miners began to pull away.
Negaunee gained a 15-7 cushion on a Braves' hitting miscue, forcing them to use a time-out.
The Miners led by as much as 21-10, following a kill by senior Morey Priya.
An ace by senior Brooklyn Lauscher got the Braves within 24-17 before the Miners closed out the first set.
Gladstone won the freshman match 25-14, 27-25 and the Miners copped the jayvee match 25-15, 25-19.