Over the past few seasons, the Onekama Portagers have demonstrated they have the right skills to consistently win high-profile volleyball matches.

And they are hoping to carry those skills into another postseason rematch with Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.  

Sacred Heart has stood in the way of Onekama reaching the Quarterfinals – winning their Regional Finals matchups the last two seasons.

Anticipating winning a fifth-straight District title, the Portagers can’t help but look ahead to another possible Regional meeting with the Irish, the current top-ranked team in Division 4. Onekama is listed as honorable mention in coaches poll.  

The Portagers improved their record to 23-8-1 overall Thursday with a Northwest Conference title-clinching sweep of Benzie Central. It was the first championship for Onekama since returning to the conference during the 2016-17 school year.

With the conference title and another trophy from winning their own invitational this fall, the Portagers have a fifth-straight District championship in their sights.

“We’d like to make this five, and the girls are looking forward to it,” Onekama coach Linda Elo said. “Winning the conference is special because it has been a competitive conference for a lot of years.”

The key to Onekama’s success has been the play of setter Elizabeth McKeough, libero Ava Mauntler and outside hitters Hailey Hart and Delaney McCarthy.

McKeough, McCarthy and Mauntler, a member of the all-Region team last year, are sophomores. Hart is a junior. The Portagers also have a host of support players who posses defensive prowess.

“The strength of my team is a strong setter, my libero and two outside hitters, and they do a really good job,” said Elo, now in her ninth season as the Onekama coach.  “Defensively, I am a coach who pushes a lot of defense – it’s an important part of the game.”

Heading into the conference clincher, Hart was leading the team with 251 kills, McCarthy had 200 and senior middle hitter Leah Gary – also the team leader in blocks – had 101. At 5-foot-9, Gary and McCarthy are the team’s tallest players.

Also prior to the Benzie match, Mauntler had 70 serving aces and 379 digs, both team highs. McCarthy and McKeough are right behind Mauntler in aces, and McKeough leads the team in setting at eight assists per game.

During the sweep of Benzie, McCarthy racked up a 19-point service run and Hart added a 13-point service run. Hart added 16 kills, while Gary chipped in with eight kills and McKeough collected 30 assists in the 25-9, 25-4, 25-4 dominating performance. 

“The girls have really good systems play, and they get better all the time,” Elo said. “We are not the tallest team, but these girls get good touches blocking to start our defense and we have people in the back line that are willing to go on the floor if they need to.”

While acknowledging most coaches love their own squads, Elo is quick to say her team is special. She notes her Portagers are fun to watch, and she gets frequent compliments from opponents and their supporters. 

“When they get going and get up to speed, they don’t quit,” Elo said. “And they do a good job being great teammates. When you add that all in, it’s a good formula.”

Eight of the team’s 13 rostered players came into the season with previous varsity experience.

District play for the host Portagers will get underway on their home court in early November. Bear Lake, Brethren and Frankfort are the other teams in the District. Frankfort also is a Northwest Conference opponent, and Brethren will join the league next year.

The Portagers have a Quarterfinal appearance on their minds. But if the Portagers get out of the District, Sacred Heart will likely be an obstacle again in the Regional.

Onekama first appeared the rankings Sept. 16. The Irish, on the other hand, have been listed among the top five all season, moving into the top spot this week.

They’ve met once this fall, on Aug. 24, with Sacred Heart winning a two-set match 26-24 and 31-29.

“You’ve always got to look down the road,” Elo said. “We faced Sacred Heart last year in Regional Finals with three freshmen on the team. We lost, but they learned the pressure of those high-profile games.”

Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Onekama players including Elizabeth McKeough (3), Maddie Gunia (10), Hailey Hart (11) and Ava Mauntler (20) huddle during a match. (Middle) Leah Gary (3) works to get the ball past an opposing block. (Below) The Portagers pose for a team photo following their home invitational championship. (Photos courtesy of Meredith McNabb.)