County championship, district tournaments in the picture for volleyball

The high school volleyball season is winding down in anticipation of next week’s district tournament in Rogers City. All three county schools will be in the tournament that begins Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. with Posen facing Onaway in the opener. Rogers City squares off with Hillman in the second match with the winners playing in the Nov. 2 championship match at 6 p.m.

The Hurons are the defending district and regional champions, as they advanced to the state semifinals last season. The last time the districts were hosted by Rogers City in 2013, Onaway defeated the Hurons in an exciting match (25-20, 25-19, 18-25, 27-25). The win proved costly as Onaway lost all-state senior hitter Mariah Ehrke to injury late in the fourth set.
The Cards were attempting to make a return to the state finals in 2013, after a trip to the final four in the 2012 season. Pellston ended that notion by taking the Cards in four sets at the 2013 regional semifinals in St. Ignace. Onaway returned to the state final four in the 2014 season, pushing top-rated Leland to five sets in the Class D state semifinals in Battle Creek.
Rogers City defeated Onaway in the districts with a five-set win in 2015 at the Hillman district and a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-22, 25-19) last season in the Wolverine district on the way to regional championships both seasons.
The latest rankings from the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association have Onaway ranked number five and Rogers City at number nine. The Hurons began the season ranked number three while the Cards have been as high as number four in the coaches’ poll.
Posen and Hillman each have improved over the course of the season, making for a potentially competitive district tournament. Posen hosted the county championship Oct. 25 featuring Onaway and Rogers City.