Bronson players celebrate after a point during semi-finals against TC St. Francis.
BATTLE CREEK – It’s an unusual strategy, but it works for defending Class C state champion Bronson.
“We play better from behind,” said the Vikings coach, Jean LaClair.
After easily taking the opening game of the semifinals, 25-16 over Calumet at Kellogg Arena on Thursday, Bronson was all of a sudden trailing to start the second, 6-1.
But it didn’t last long. Bronson rattled off 13 points while giving up only two to make the score 14-8, before another 25-16 score ended the second game.
“We start playing because now we’re behind and this is when we play the best,” LaClair said, after Bronson won the match by closing out the third game 25-14, to advance to the final at noon Saturday against No. 6-ranked Brown City.
Bronson (49-9-6) was led by Allison Sikorski’s 11 kills, with 10 more kills by Ashton Wronikowski. Kiana Mayer kept busy feeding the front line with 30 sets. Jill Pyles made 8 service aces.
“Our intensity level was awesome,” Pyles said. “We were all excited to be here, and not giving up when they got runs. Definitely being here last year really helps.”
Bronson is one of three defending champs in the four classes that returned to Battle Creek.
Calumet had lost four consecutive years at the quarterfinals but broke through this season and was on a run of winning 28 of its last 29 matches. Bronson had been on a similar run, having gone undefeated in its last 20 matches, with two ties.
“I say that we scout well, and I think that our kids that don’t get on the floor as much, they basically are playing the other team in practice,” LaClair said. “And so they’re doing a great job at preparing us.
“We don’t have a lefty so they couldn’t mimic that (Calumet hitter Hailey Wickstrom, 15 kills), but we know where the ball is going most of the time so we’re working on specific spots on defense, so it is a total team effort. It’s not half the team.”
The Copper Kings finished the year 40-11.
Class C volleyball: Brown City downs Adrian Madison in five games