Volleyball: Dow wins big over Saginaw High

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The Midland Dow varsity volleyball team picked up its first win in league play Thursday, defeating the visiting Saginaw High Trojans in straight sets 25-9, 25-5, and 25-7.

“I’m glad to get the first Valley win out of the way,” said coach Kristin Eddy after the match. “We started a little rocky against Bay City Central (last week), but we bounced back and came hard against Saginaw High.”

The outcome of the match was in doubt for only a brief time to begin the evening as the Chargers and Trojans traded points to begin play. But Dow turned it on down the stretch in the first set to win 25-9, and the overmatched Trojans never really threatened again.

“Our coverage was excellent tonight,” Eddy said. “We didn’t let a lot of balls drop. We went after the big hit every single time, and we played very smart.”

Shannon Hellebuyck had seven kills, two blocks, and two digs on the evening, while Ericka Bobalek had five blocks and seven kills. Taryn McGrew had six kills, Ashley Yuill had five service points and four digs, and Amanda Sheskey had 11 service points and four digs. Kaity McGrew had 21 assists.

“It was a total team effort,” Eddy said. “I’m pleased to see everyone come together and work for the same goal.”

The win moves the Chargers’ record to 6-4 overall and 1-1 in the Saginaw Valley League. The team will return to action Saturday when they host the Dow Invitational, set to begin at 9 a.m.

JV Chargers dominate

The Midland Dow junior varsity volleyball team took care of business Thursday, winning big in straight sets against visiting Saginaw High, 25-2 and 25-2.

Five days after taking the 20-team Mitten Bay Classic at Bay City Central, the Chargers remained sharp. Dow dominated play early and often, allowing coaches Jim and Michele Parker to get some big play from some of their players off the bench.

“The first thing is that we got a chance to play all of our players, which is very important to keep the moral up,” Jim Parker said. “The second thing is we got a chance to practice our serving to spots and the girls did a nice job of that.”

One of the players who got a chance to work on her serving was Kayla Striker, who recorded 19 service points on the evening. Sam Lanvit added 12 service points of her own, while Shelby Thompson had seven and Jamie Sanderson had six. Kristin Mills had two kills.

“They came ready to play,” Michele Parker said. “They were prepared enough from practice that it didn’t matter who we played today. They were ready to play.”

The Chargers are now 11-2-1 on the season, with their only losses coming to North Branch and Bay City Central. They will play again this weekend when they will see action in Saturday’s Dow Invitational.

“They are a great group of girls to work with,” Michele Parker said. “They’re fun to coach and they’re having a really good season so far.”