A tough five-game loss at home to Rochester last Thursday dashed the Lake Orion volleyball squad’s hopes of running the table in the OAA II this season.
So the team looked to rebound on Saturday, during the annual Dragon Volleyball Invitational at LOHS.
Things started well for LO as they won both games of the round robin format versus both Lahser and Marine City.
The team then fell 25-23, 25-23 to Imlay City, to give them a 4-2 record in round robin play, with a plus-14 point differential.
That point differential was good enough for the third seed in the 12-team playoff, which guaranteed the Dragons a first-round bye.
When sixth seeded Walled Lake Northern finally came calling that afternoon, the Dragons were well rested, having easily the longest wait of any team all day between games.
But, perhaps, they were too rested.
After falling behind 10-6 early in the first game of the best-of-three format, Northern struck back, eventually tying the game at 16 and forcing a timeout from LO Coach Bob Howey.
The timeout didn’t stop Northern’s momentum as they broke a 19-all tie by winning six of the game’s final seven points for a 25-20 win and 1-0 lead.
“I thought we played them tough the first game and just made some errors at the end,” Howey said. “It was hard with that layoff though.”
The Dragons responded well early in game two, winning five unanswered points for a 7-3 lead. But, as they did in the first game, Northern came back. They took nine of the next 10 points for a 12-8 lead.
From there Northern just coasted to a 25-14 win and two game sweep of the Dragons, sending the hosts home before they could reach the semifinals.
Imlay City went on to beat Northern in the championship in three games.
On the day, LO was led by Alicia Roth’s 44 digs, with Cortney Kimmel adding 35. Jessica Bland had 29 kills.
The Dragons are off now until next Thursday, when they’ll travel to West Bloomfield for a big OAA II showdown.
Along with LO, West Bloomfield is one of four teams in the standings currently sitting with just one loss in the league.