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MANISTIQUE -- What appeared would be a close volleyball match changed after the first set here Wednesday night as the Manistique Emeralds broke away for a 3-0 (30-28, 25-14, 25-13) triumph over the Bark River-Harris Broncos in a Division 3 district semifinal.
The victory enabled the Emeralds (8-19-6) to advance to Thursday's title match at Norway (19-10-1), which eliminated Iron Mountain in five sets Wednesday. The Broncos finished 5-18.
Thursday's winner advanced to Tuesday's regional opener at Gwinn to face tonight's Calumet/Painesdale Jeffers winner.
Iron Mountain had won Monday's opener in three sets and not Menominee as previously mentioned on the Michigan High School Athletic Association website.
The Emeralds seized the momentum after taking Wednesday's opener on a service ace by junior libero Kendyl Flodin.
Senior setter Aaliyah Sears then opened the second set with an eight-point service run.
"We started playing for each other which definitely generated momentum," she said. "I love having a good group of girls around me. We were super nervous about the first set. Winning that one was definitely a confidence builder. We wanted to keep it going. We're working together and picking up the pieces where we need to. We relaxed more in the second set. It's a matter of trusting everybody around you."
The Broncos got a sideout on an Emeralds' hitting error and trimmed their deficit to 8-2 on a kill by senior outside hitter/defensive specialist Carli Erickson.
Manistique then got a sideout and sophomore setter Brooke Petrelius served for five straight points, extending its cushion to 14-2 on a Broncos' hitting miscue.
BR-H shaved its deficit to 14-6 before a kill by Sears gave the Emeralds a sideout and a nine-point advantage.
The Emeralds gained a 19-7 advantage on a passing error by the Broncos.
A kill by senior outside hitter Alexis Olson brought BR-H within 19-12.
Manistique, however, didn't allow BR-H to get any closer prior to closing that set on a service error.
Back-to-back aces by Petrilius gave Manistique a 3-0 lead in the third set before a kill by Erickson got BR-H on the board.
Manistique led 7-1 after an ace by Flodin before the Broncos trimmed their deficit to 8-4 on a defensive miscue by the Emeralds.
The Broncos were still within 17-11 prior to a kill by senior middle blocker Kaylynn McDougle gave the Emeralds a sideout and six-point lead.
Manistique then surged to a 24-12 advantage on a Broncos' hitting error.
The Emeralds then committed a hitting miscue of the own before ending the match on a service error of their own.
"I think we started off a little amped up," Emeralds' coach Amy Nixon said. "When we settled down, we focused on doing what we do best and everything came together. Winning the first set was important for momentum. A big part of it is we were serving real well which helped us keep the pressure on them. It's fun to coach when a match is competitive. Another factor is our setters were putting the ball where we needed it."
The teams went toe-to-toe in the opener.
BR-H trailed 24-22 after a passing miscue, but went ahead 25-24 on a kill by junior right-side hitter Nevaeh Maycroft.
A kill by Erickson tied the score at 28 before a kill by McDougle enabled the Emeralds to take a 29-28 lead, setting the stage for Flodin's set-ending ace.
"It felt like they were serving aggressively," BR-H coach Brooke Bartley said. "Their eight-point run to begin the second set was a huge momentum changer. They were really taking care of the ball. We talked about passing and serving being a big part of volleyball before the match. Manistique did a great job. They've definitely built up their program. We need to build on what we were doing at the end of the season. We need to be more consistent. We have a lot of juniors. We know what our job is."
McDougle was Manistique's leader at the net with seven kills. Senior middle blocker McKenna Davis added six. Sears and freshman outside hitter Courtney Larson finished with five apiece.
Allie Davis hit three service aces and Flodin collected 23 digs.
Erickson led the Broncos with five kills and 14 digs. Olson also had five kills and senior defensive specialist Mira Johnson had 21 digs.