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Stephenson Soars To Great Northern Championship
 ESCANABA--The smallest school in the Great Northern Conference is on top of the league in volleyball. The Stephenson Eagles rolled past the Escanaba Eskymos, 3-0, Thursday night, to clinch the GNC championship inside the Escanaba Gym.  "These girls put in a lot of time, and they take practice really seriously." Thursday's scores were 25-11, 25-22, 25-13. "I am actually very proud of Stephenson," said Escanaba Coach Theresa Heidt. "No one, specifically, on that team stands out. But they all play together, and they always seem to get the win." Indeed. The Eagles are now 25-4-4 on the season, and finished 9-1 in the GNC. "They have a ton of heart," Johnson said of her girls. "I know that, but when we go to other gyms, that's what the other people say to me: 'boy, your girls play with a lot of heart.' They do not give up, they don't let the ball drop." As for the Eskymos, Heidt said her team could have done better in this one.  Johnson added about her Eagles: "We may not have the tallest girls, we may not have the most numbers, but I don't think anybody can beat us for energy and heart." Stephenson opens the Class D District Tournament Monday at North Central. Escanaba, meanwhile, will host either Menominee or Kingsford in the Class B District Tournament next Wednesday. Those two teams will face each other on Monday. "We've improved in some areas, and yet we've slacked in others," Heidt said. "So, we're going to have a couple of good days of practice. We'll be working on our hitting, and just be able to deserve where the ball is going to go so that we can make a play." Other Thursday Night U.P. Volleyball Scores Rapid River 3, North Central 0 Norway 3, Negaunee 1 Superior Central 3, Mid Peninsula 1 Crystal Falls Forest Park 3, Bark River-Harris 1 Manistique 3, Big Bay deNoc 0 Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos from the match, and hear coaches' post-game comments.  |
