LocalSportsJournal.com
SHELBY – For the second straight year, the WMC Rivers Division runs through Shelby volleyball—and for the second straight year, the Tigers had to get by North Muskegon to clinch it.
The Norsemen traveled to Shelby on Tuesday with each team owning an undefeated record in conference play. In all likelihood, the winner would walk away with the title of conference champion. That honor belonged to the Tigers as they won 3-0.
Scores for the night leaned in favor of Shelby as they won 25-16, 25-19 and 25-19.
“As soon as (North Muskegon) made the move to the Rivers, it’s been the two of us trying to battle these things out,” Shelby head coach Tom Weirich said. ”They’re a good team and they played us tough. The atmosphere here tonight was awesome and they showed up big tonight.”
North Muskegon made the Tigers work hard for the win. In the first set, the Norsemen snagged a 4-0 lead before trading points back-and-forth. Eventually, Shelby snagged a 14-9 lead and ran away with the night’s opening action.
The second set was a mirror of the first. Once again, North Muskegon owned a 4-0 advantage before Shelby crept back in to take a lead of their own. With the score knotted at 9, the Tigers went on a run that the Norsemen couldn’t answer.
The key in both of those sets? An impressive service run from junior Navea Gauthier that caught the competition sleeping.
“I almost feel like teams see (Navea) go to the back row and they take a sigh of relief because they got her through the front row and it was close. But then she goes back there and burns them for three to four aces,” Weirich said. “She sees the game differently from everyone else and she has the mindset and skill set to back it up.”
Shelby flipped the script in the third and final set, taking the early lead for themselves. Shelby snagged an 8-3 lead and staved off a late push from the Norsemen to win 25-19.
Gauthier led the Tigers on the stat sheet, posting 30 kills, 16 digs and 8 aces. Chipping in alongside her were Audrey Horton with 32 assists and Hannah Frees with 16 digs.
The win pushed the Tigers to 19-11 on the season, keeping them unbeaten in the conference at 5-0. The Tigers have just one conference game remaining to put a cap on their 2023 regular season as they travel to Hart on Oct. 17 to take on the Pirates.
“We put (the conference title banner) up there last year and that’s the first one since ‘99,” Weirich said. “This is where you start the legacy of putting those things up there. We’re gonna see everyone’s best and teams are gunning for us. We know we have to keep performing every single night.
North Muskegon (10-4 overall; 4-1 WMC Rivers) will host Ravenna next Tuesday before preparing for the conference tournament.
Check out photos shot by Brendan Samuels.
