Gaylord St. Mary volleyball starts fast, can't close out Central Lake

GAYLORD ― The game of volleyball can swing pretty quickly. In close matches in high school volleyball, the team that can best ride the momentum is usually the team that comes out on top.

That momentum can shift at any moment, even late in a 2-0 match. Gaylord St. Mary learned that the hard way on Tuesday night.

An improved team with growing expectations, it was GSM who held that 2-0 lead as the Snowbirds seemed to be on their way to a convincing Ski Valley Conference victory. Then, the momentum shifted and Central Lake refused to give it back, rallying for a 3-2 victory (15-25, 13-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-10) in a tough loss for the Snowbirds.

VOTE: Who was the Gaylord-area Athlete of the Week for Sept. 2-8?

Football: Why did Gaylord St. Mary host three 8-player varisty football games this past weekend?

Here are the key takeaways from the SVC opener:

Snowbirds start fast, can't put Trojans away

The Snowbirds were young, inexperienced and lacking depth in 2023, leading to a tough run in the regular season, particularly in Ski Valley Conference play. A win against Central Lake would've been a nice start to what they hope to be a rebound season, and it seemed like they were well on their way to that first conference win after two sets.

Still with no seniors on the roster, the junior trio of Emery Blust, Kaylee Jeffers and Payton Glasby continue to be the focal points of whatever team they're on, and they helped GSM storm out to convincing wins in the first two sets (25-15, 25-13).

Then, Central Lake started mounting its comeback.

The Trojans stormed out to a 17-13 lead in set three, eventually putting away a 25-19 set three victory. Set four was more of the same, with GSM having to fight from behind rather than working from ahead like in the first two sets, and Central Lake found a way to another 25-19 victory and a 2-2 tie.

With all the momentum on their side, Central Lake capitalized, scoring the first 10 points of the decisive fifth set before putting away a 15-10 win and a 3-2, comeback victory.

Even in defeat, GSM shows signs of improvement

It's sometimes tough to look at the positives after a heartbreaking loss like GSM accomplished, but it's clear from an outside perspective that GSM is a much more formidable opponent under new head coach Christie Perdue.

GSM was generally more organized, in sync and able to score points better than at any point during last year's 2-15 season. When they could play the ball cleanly and allow their top players to get touches, they looked as good as any Snowbirds team has in the past few seasons.

When they struggled, they allowed mishits here or there to snowball, allowing Central Lake to seize the momentum of a match that was clearly in the Snowbirds' hands early on. GSM is still a young team, boasting a roster of juniors, sophomores, and freshmen, so their best volleyball is ahead of them. This match, however, will have to be a learning experience.

Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord St. Mary volleyball falls to Central Lake in Ski Valley opener