Click the thumbnails to see photos, and to hear post-game comments from Norse Coach Dan Porath. Video clips will be added Tuesday night.
ESCANABA---The Bay College Norse women's volleyball team took a tough loss Monday night on the home court, falling to the Montcalm Community College Centurions in a five-set marathon that went back-and-forth all night.
It was the first conference victory of the season for Montcalm (2-10 overall, 1-3 MCCAA North), and the Norse missed out on a chance to move into a first place tie in the North Division standings. Bay is now 8-6 overall, and 3-2 in conference play.
Bay College Coach Dan Porath says you should not be fooled by last place Montcalm's record.
“In our conference, you have to come ready to play,” Porath said. “You have to bring your A game every single time you play. I don't think anyone in our conference is an easy, rollover win. Some of our players didn't have their A game tonight. It is what it is.”
The match was tight all night long. The first set went to overtime, with the Centurions winning, 29-27. The Norse won the second set, 25-19, and after falling behind in the third set (10-4), Bay rallied to take a 16-15 lead, and win, 25-19.
It looked like Bay would pull away to win the fourth set, and the match, when the Norse raced to a 17-9 lead. But the Centurions rallied to win, 25-23, setting up a fifth and final
Montcalm led most of the way in that deciding set, but Bay came from behind to tie it up at 12-12. The Norse had the serve, but couldn't capitalize, and then lost the match on a service ace by Ayanna Sanders, 15-12.
“I think we relaxed a little bit too much,” Porath said. “We gave them the momentum. They took it into the fifth and we just couldn't recover. They had an injury to number 15 (Sanders) and she came back today. She played really well. We just didn't have our A game today.”
The loss was just the second for the Norse in their last ten matches, and both of those losses came in five-set marathons.
Bay College will be on the road this Wednesday night for a non-conference match in Ironwood against the Gogebic Community College Samsons. GCC is now 5-4 on the season after beating Dakota County Technical College, 3-0, Monday evening.
