Escanaba junior Ava Stalboerger (23) hugs senior Sophie Lehto as Kingsford celebrates winning a district championship on Nov. 7, 2024 at Kingsford High School. Lehto was one of five seniors who played their final match for Escanaba on Thursday. (“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

KINGSFORD –When it came to volleyball in 2024, Escanaba kept pace with nearly every team in the U.P..

The Eskymos won two of three matches over Negaunee, swept season series matchups over Marquette, Gladstone and Menominee.

But there was one team which gave the orange and black fits all season long. That team was No. 2 Kingsford.

The two Great Northern Conference foes met in Thursday’s Division 2 district championship game inside Kingsford home gym.

The third meeting between the two ended like the first two. Kingsford walked away with the win.

The Eskymos 2024 season came to an end with an 8-25, 15-25, 18-25 loss to the Flivvers.

“We knew it was going to be a tough one,” Esky coach Beverly Ziebell said. “Our girls kind of got a little nervous. We seemed to be playing defense the whole time, and our offense suffered. We just couldn’t get it together tonight.”

Esky struggled to find its footing early in sets. In the opening frame the Flivvers claimed the first four points and opened an 11-3 lead. The Eskymos pulled to within nine points at 16-7, but the Flivvers ran away with the frame, taking nine of its final 10 points to take a 1-0 match lead.

The Eskymos found themselves in a 7-2 hole in set two and appeared to make it 7-3 when Kingsford senior Anna Bortolini committed a service error. But there was one issue: Esky was out of rotation and received a yellow card for delay of game. The Flivvers were awarded the point on a side out, kept possession of the ball and took an 8-2 lead.

The Flivvers took a 12-2 lead on a 10-0 run before the Eskymos scored again, ultimately dropping the second set by 10 points.

Kingsford claimed set three’s first five points and opened a 9-3 lead. The Eskymos clawed their way to a 14-8 deficit off a kill from senior Grayson LaMarche. Six points was as shallow as the hole got as the Flivvers claimed the final set by seven points.

“They’re a good team,” Ziebell said of the Flivvers. “We tried to shut them down on the blocking, but it just wasn’t enough. Too many mistakes.”

The loss officially concludes the first year under Ziebell, a season which saw the Eskymos go 6-2 in GNC play and reach a district championship game.

“The girls are fantastic. We had a great team,” Ziebell said. “They gelled well together this year. I learned a lot about coaching varsity, but it went fantastic. We had fun. Can’t wait until next season.”

The loss was also the final match for LaMarche, Katey Lamb, Sophie Lehto, Clara Braun and Lily Nelson, five seniors Ziebell coached at the varsity and junior varsity level.

“It’s sad to see the seniors go,” Ziebell said. “I’ve been coaching most of them for a long time. They’re moving on to bigger and better things.”