Here is part of a story that will appear in tomorrow's paper. I encourage you all to pick it up as it will be part of a special four-page special section recognizing the efforts of the Lady Bearcats.
The full-color section includes this story as well as over 20 pictures, including many shots of the action, the celebration, some tears and a bunch of excited fans.
One heckuva run
Lady Bearcats fall in Class C volleyball finals
BY CHRIS OGRYSKI
Sports Editor
No one expected them to get there.
In end, that was the sentiment after the Ubly volleyball team lost to Morley Stanwood (25-10, 25-22, 25-17) in the Class C finals at Kellogg Center in Battle Creek this past Saturday. The team advanced to the finals by beating Calumet (19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18) in the semis.
The Bearcats were thrown out of sync early on in game one against the Morley Stanwood when they were called for lifting on multiple set attempts. Those calls, which each cost Ubly points, put the Bearcats behind 8-1 and eventually 23-7.
“(During) the rest of the tournament, we didn’t get those (lifting) calls,” coach Andy Gusa said. “It took us out of our rhythm for awhile.”
He added, “We couldn’t get the ball (in the right spot) to get an easy shot on them, so we were scrambling the first game.”
It wasn’t until late in game two that Ubly finally got back on track as they rallied from down 22-15 to get as close as 22-20, before eventually falling by three points. “We got back in our rhythm in the second game, but they were a really good team,” he said.
“We weren’t able to get blocks on them; they were hitting them hard and around our blocks,” Gusa added. “They had a real quick set, so if they didn’t go to their main hitters we had a hard time reacting.”
Despite the disappointment of finishing as runners-up, Gusa will always look fondly upon the most successful volleyball season in school history. “We had a great season; it was fun all the way through,” he said. “They girls were happy to be here, they held their heads up high no matter how they did.”
Weber added, “No one expected us to get this far, so we are really proud of ourselves.”
Individually in the finals, Lyndsay White had five digs and one ace; Gwen Pionk 16 assists and six digs; Gena Briolat one kill and two digs; Kayla Kubacki eight kills, two assists and eight digs; Shannon Weber 10 kills, one assist and 11 digs; Tricia Heleski two kills; Rebecca Gentner one dig and Erin Yarbrough two digs.
In trying to keep the loss in perspective, Gusa realized that had it not been for a great play against USA in pre-districts, the team might have been eliminated from the post-season without any hardware. With the Bearcats leading 14-13 in the fifth game against the Patriots, Ubly and USA battled back-and-forth on a long volley, before Shannon Weber directed a hit near the line on a ball that barely went in.
“That was a scary start, but we had five girls who never played in a district before,” Gusa admitted. “They were a little nervous for that one.”
After eliminating the Pats, the Bearcats went on to beat Bad Axe and Cass City to win the district crown, but they had another close call against Saginaw Valley in the regional finals. “That was a team that really scared me. I was so glad that last girl hit that ball out of bounds,” Gusa said of his team’s 15-12 win in game five of their match against the Chargers.
Erin Yarbrough 
