Prepapalooza: Final Countdown Begins

Losing a volleyball match was something of a welcome possibility a few weeks back for fifth-year Atlanta coach Amy Mullerd.

Now, Mullerd has no place for that thought – and her players are right there with her.

“I kind of was hoping maybe if we took a loss, it would be okay,” Mullerd admitted of much earlier-season thoughts. “Now, you know, if we take a loss, it’s trouble one way or the other, but … I think that they are enjoying the pressure of being undefeated.”

The last time the Huskies lost a set was in last year’s Division 4 Quarterfinal match against Hancock. Atlanta got there by breezing to a District championship and 3-0 wins over Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian and St. Ignace to claim a Regional title.

Today, the Huskies are 28-0 on the season and undefeated in North Star League play. They’re playing league rival Hillman this evening with a third-straight league title and undefeated season on the line. Hillman is also undefeated in conference play, and likely will play Atlanta again this weekend in the league’s annual tournament, which does not impact the NSL championship race. 

Hillman is also likely to be a District opponent in November as the Huskies also host Onaway, Posen, and Rogers City.

Atlanta is not looking past Hillman or the District. But while the Huskies are committed to one game at a time, they do have their sights on an even deeper postseason run this year.

Winning out is on their mind, pressure or not, as the school community is getting behind their possible historic run.

“I like to make sure they focus on one game at a time, because you have to be able to adapt to whatever team you play,” said Mullerd, who previously coached volleyball for 20 years before breaking and then returning to the sidelines at Atlanta. “We're just doing it one game at a time, but they have set their goals and they've seemed to reach most all of them so far. So we'll see.”

The Huskies are facing tonight’s match as just another moment of feeling pressure to remain undefeated.

“There's pressure, but it's not really Hillman that we have pressure against,” pointed out Olivia McSwain, a senior setter, who has topped 3,000 career assists this season to set the school record. “It's the fact that we are undefeated.”

Alliyah Hagemeister, a senior who breaks her own school kills record with every successful swing, downplayed the pressure to win tonight.

“I don't think there's any pressure, but it's just a big day as that's our conference,” she said. “It's make-or-break for a conference win, so it's just a really exciting day.”

Kacie Moldenhauer, one of four sophomores on Atlanta’s nine-player roster, is excited to see how much the team’s hard work will pay off tonight and the rest of the season.   

“It’s a big game for us as a team, as in there's a lot of pressure for being undefeated,” she said. “And we have been working very hard to get to this point, and like past years building up to this point, and we also go against our rivals. We're just really excited for this game and ready to give it a roll for the pressure that we have.”

Another of the Huskies’ sophomores, Jyl Larson, has never experienced a loss to Hillman and she’s not ready to do so.

“I think that we just need to be ready for whatever, and just play our best,” acknowledged Larson, who leads the team in digs.

The Huskies also have two freshmen in their lineup, and no juniors. They regularly play three seniors after losing only one major contributor from last season to graduation.

Atlanta players all believe they are the favorites to once again capture the District crown.

“Making it through Districts and Regionals (last season) was definitely a surprise to a bunch of people around us because I don't think they thought we could do it,” Hagemeister said. “To get to where we were last year was a huge accomplishment, and I think this year, we'll definitely go further.”

Mullerd inherited an Atlanta team five years ago that found competing at a varsity level nearly impossible. They were playing mostly junior varsity squads and seldom picking up victories.

That’s not been the case since she took over, although she gives credit to the players for buying into doing the work.

The Huskies won 18 matches in Mullerd’s first season. These days, all kinds of trophies are accumulating because of the team’s strong work ethic.

“All credit goes to the girls buying in that, you know, things just aren't easy. I just gave them the tools,” Mullerd said. “And if you want to have a winning game, you’ve got to put in the work. You have to come to practice, and you have to put the work in. Anything worthwhile is not easy.”

And she loves the team’s winning mindset.

“They bought in and it's just an amazing turn, being a team that won nothing to a team that now never expects to lose,” she said. “We're feeling pretty strong – we feel really good about our chances, but you never know any given night what could happen. So we're ready for anything.”

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) Atlanta players celebrate during a match this season. (Middle) Alliyah Hagemeister elevates for a kill attempt. (Below) The Huskies enjoy a moment with their mascot. (Photos by Jenna McSwain.)