Escanaba Sweeps Gladstone Again In Volleyball 3-0
Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and listen to post-game comments from both coaches and Eskymo freshman Grayson LaMarche
GLADSTONE---The Escanaba High School volleyball team shrugged off a sluggish start and rolled past the Gladstone Braves, 3-0, Tuesday night in Gladstone.
The scores were 25-18, 25-12, 25-9.
Katelyn Stalboerger had 15 kills as the Eskymos swept the season series from the Braves.
"The girls came out kind of sluggish," Escanaba Coach Adam Lambert said of his team's start, which saw Gladstone take an early 8-4 lead. "In fact, I told them that after the first set, it looked like we were playing in a library, where they were trying to be super-quiet and polite, instead of playing their game. We got that changed around, and I said after the second set, they bumped it up to playing like we were at a 70th birthday party."
Lambert was looking for the same intensity his Eskymos had in a 3-2 win at Manistique last week, but this time, against a rebuilding Gladstone team, he says his girls did not have a "petal to the medal" mentality.
"They're all friends," Lambert said. "They're our rivals, and it's been that way for 100 years, but they all know each other and they play softball together. So there's nerves and timidity sometimes. But they pulled through, and we knew we would today."
For Gladstone Coach Averi Kanyuh, it was a step in the right direction ater her team was badly dominated by the Eskymos in the other meeting in Escanaba two weeks ago.
"I think we did a lot better on serve-receive and passing," Kanyuh said. "They did a really good job staying with it, and everyone worked together as a team. I'd like to see a little bit more consistent passing and hitting. Some fundamental things to work on."
It's Homecoming Week at both Escanaba and Gladstone, and there was a nice crowd on hand at Tuesday night's match. Gladstone travels to Kingsford on Thursday while Escanaba has a showdown on Thursday in Marquette.
"Hopefully we can take the intensity from Manistique and bring it to Marquette on Thursday," Lambert said. "We look forward to playing them, because they bring it. We've got the stuff to compete with Marquette, we really do. If we bring the girls that we brought to Manistique, or to Kingsford when we went over there, if we bring that to Marquette, Marquette will be surprised."
TUESDAY'S OTHER UP SCORES
Manistique 3, Ishpeming 0
Munising 3, Rapid River 0
Gwinn 3, Westwood 0
Hancock 3, West Iron County 0
