Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette
Hancock’s Brielle Kero serves during a match Saturday in the Hancock Gym.
HANCOCK — The Hancock High School and Middle School echoed with the sound of whistles, bouncing balls and cheering players and coaches on Saturday as the Bulldogs hosted their annual tournament. While the day of competition is called a tournament, there were no elimination rounds or winners in the end. A better description of the day would be it allows area high-school players on the junior circuit to get a chance to play a lot of volleyball. No one could put an exact date on when this September tradition started, but around 20 years was a popular consensus.
Among those teams in attendance were: Hancock, Houghton, Calumet, Jeffers West Iron County, Baraga, Ontonagon and L’Anse. Each game was just two sets and winners were determined at 21 points not 25. In the end, each team played around five games.
“The girls look forward to hosting this each year,” said Callie Budweg head coach of the Hancock freshman team. “It not only makes for a fun day of volleyball, but it allows us to see the competition as conference play begins.”
She added that she has got a great group of girls who work hard.
“My squad is very solid right now,” she said. “We have 11 girls on the team and we are working as a unit. They are a good bunch of girls, athletic and fun to be around.”
Bruce Kerry is in his first year coaching the JV team in L’Anse, and he echoed a similar sentiment.
“These girls work hard in practice,” he said. “In particular we have made much improvement in the area of communication, coverage and getting on and off the net. As well our serves are much better and even our passes are more on target.”
Likewise, long-time volleyball coach Anna Bradfish is making her debut in Houghton as the JV coach. While she loves teaching the game of volleyball, Bradfish explained that she equally loves showing her team the life lesson the sport offers.
“I like the life-coaching aspect that this job offers,” she shared. “We have a volleyball with a team set of values on it and I am constantly referring to it. Teamwork, I tell them, is so important. You could have all the raw athleticism in the world, but if you cannot play as a team, you will not win.”
Bradfish added that she has a good group of athletes and girls who want to learn.
“We are trying to put these pieces together,” she said. “Whether that means watching a girl hit a back row attack or another girl move her feet better, that is fun to watch as a coach.”
