Marquette’s Jocelyn Mead, left, makes a critical block in the fourth set as Gaylord’s Kylee Hopp follows through on her attempted kill during an MHSAA Division 1 district tournament volleyball match played at the Barb Crill Gymnasium in Marquette on Monday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Senior High School volleyball team pushed Gaylord to the limit, but eventually the visiting Blue Devils won a five-set victory over the Sentinels in the opening round of the MHSAA Division 1 district tournament at the Barb Crill Gymnasium on Monday evening.

This back-and-forth match was won by Gaylord, 25-19, 8-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12.

Marquette fought hard throughout as the momentum swung back and forth multiple times. In the end, though, it’s the Blue Devils that advance directly to the district tournament championship match against the winner of Tuesday’s other semifinal with Alpena at Petoskey. That finale will be played Thursday evening with Alpena or Petoskey hosting.

Despite the loss, Sentinels head coach Melissa Butler expressed pride in her team’s efforts.

“We lost our first round to Gaylord, but it was a good fight,” Butler said in an email. “The team played well together, and I am proud of the overall performance.”

The opening set began evenly contested at 2-2. Marquette then seized momentum behind Ava Maki, who led a strong serving run that brought the Sentinels an 8-3 lead, forcing Gaylord to call an early timeout.

The Sentinels’ intensity continued, with Grace Filizetti making critical spikes and blocks to hold off the Blue Devils’ attack. Although Gaylord closed the gap to 19-17, Marquette held its composure and won the set.

The Blue Devils responded to start the second set, quickly racing to a 5-1 lead, with Aubrey Jones proving to be a problem for the host team at the net. The Sentinels found themselves struggling to keep up with Gaylord’s powerful spikes and strong blocking, and Gaylord extended its advantage to 18-4. Marquette had no answer this set as the Blue Devils leveled the match 1-1.

The third set started with the teams trading points with Gaylord up narrowly at 7-6. The Sentinels showed resilience, with Claire Parent stepping up with a key block to keep the score close. But Gaylord maintained its composure, edging out the Sentinels to go up 2-1.

Facing elimination, Marquette rallied in the fourth set. The score was tied multiple times in a thrilling display, with the teams exchanging points all the way to 14-14. The Sentinels broke through with crucial plays from Maki and Jocelyn Mead, who helped Marquette secure a 17-14 lead. Despite a late push from Gaylord, Marquette held on to take the set 25-20 and force a fifth set.

In the deciding set, Gaylord jumped out to a 5-2 lead and pushed it to 10-5 before Marquette started a comeback. The Sentinels closed the gap to 13-10, but Gaylord’s Aubrey Jones made several key plays in the final few points, including a final spike that sealed the win.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.