Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Gladstone’s Alissa Sanvile (right) spikes the ball against Kingsford’s Christy Glodowski (10) and Katherine Erickson (center) Thursday at Gladstone.

GLADSTONE — The Gladstone girls volleyball team did some things right in their home opener but ultimately fell to Kingsford’s skillful serving. The Flivvers took the match in straight sets, (25-16, 25-7, 25-11) at Gladstone Thursday.

The Braves showed potential in the first set, taking the lead on a small run near the start — thanks, in part, to a tip-over from Joyce Barron.

“I think running our 6-2 this year (worked well tonight),” Braves coach Averi Kanyuh said of her inaugural match. “We had good serves, and our hitters did a good job adjusting to the sets, and our setters did a good job adjusting to passes when they were pulled off the net.”

They stayed there until an eight-point run from the Flivvers’ Emma Andrews put Kingsford ahead 17-12.

“We started slow, our communication was slow, but I think as that picked up it made a big difference,” Flivvers coach Jaclynn Kreider said. “We started having a lot of fun.

“Tonight, I was proud of the girls. We ran a completely different offense than we did on Tuesday (against North Dickinson), and we’re throwing a lot of different line-ups in. The girls just adjusted well again.”

The Braves only made it within four before the Flivvers went on a 6-1 run to finish the set 25-16.

Kingsford continued to roll in the beginning of the second, jumping ahead 5-0 thanks to a short run — and an ace — from Ali LaVarney.

The Flivvers clamped down after the Braves reduced their deficit to 10-4, and Kingsford’s Talia Wallis put up a nine-point run — including five aces — to increase its advantage to 20-4 and seal the set.

“I think our serving, in particular, was strong tonight,” Kreider said. “We had a lot of aces, and I think that, sort of, set the pace for us. We were able to go on some big runs due to our serving.”

Despite taking the first point in the third set, the Braves were quickly piled on after a 10-point run from Kingsford’s Grace Roberts to make it 11-1.

Gladstone’s answer was a short run, and a sharp spike from Ahna Larson, but it couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.

“The girls just need to see more time on the court themselves,” Kanyuh said. “This is actually only our fourth time in our gym. Really, it’s just about seeing the ball more, and running more of our offense and defense as much as can.”

The Braves occasionally interrupted the Flivvers’ flow for the remainder of the set but were unable to build any momentum. Despite a kill from Gladstone’s Amber King-Rabitoy, Kingsford finished the set with a tip-over from Christy Glodowski.

“I still feel like tonight we started a little slow, and that’s something we’ve got to work on,” Kreider said. “Being able to start a match where we can start quick right away. So we’re not always feeling like we’re coming from behind or having to battle back. I’m going to put that on me, and try to figure out a way in practice that we can get ourselves ready earlier. We’ve got to figure out a way to — when we step on — start at one-hundred percent.”

Gladstone visits Menominee Tuesday, and Kingsford hosts Escanaba.