Playing for a good cause: Big Bay de Noc defeats Rapid River in five games at Breast Cancer Awareness Night | News, sports, jobs

Rapid River senior Madison LaCrosse (9) tries to fend off a kill attempt by Big Bay de Noc junior Caragan Thill during a game on Oct. 15, 2024, at Big Bay de Noc Schools. (“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

GARDEN CORNERS – The month of October symbolizes many things.

It symbolizes the end of summer. It symbolizes the start of the MLB postseason. It symbolizes the beginning of Halloween and for some people the beginning of the Christmas season.

The month of October also symbolizes breast cancer awareness. That was evident Tuesday in the volleyball game between Big Bay de Noc and Rapid River.

The Black Bears rocked custom white and pink jerseys and earned a 25-11, 22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-10 victory over the Rockets.

“We have many people in our community who have fought this battle and won, and unfortunately some have not won this battle.” said Black Bears coach Angie Carley. “We wanted to use this evening to say, ‘Hey, it’s not just about our seniors.’ It’s about our community as a whole.” We get a lot of support from our community here at Big Bay de Noc. Every opportunity we have to recognize and thank them, we try to take advantage of it.”

The evening also included raffle prizes, donations and the opportunity for players to play in honor of a loved one who has battled breast cancer.

Big Bay junior Caragan Thill played in honor of her grandmother Linda Thill and aunt Sarah Thill. Senior Tamra Stoken played in honor of her grandmother, Geri Stoken. Junior Charlee Klink played in honor of her grandmother, Bonnie Kreh. Senior Macy Peterson played in honor of her aunt, Laurie Tennyson. Junior Kelsey Frankovich played in honor of her grandmother, Belinda Silvis. Carley trained in honor of Kristie Mickelson.

Big Bay players weren’t the only ones who got to play in someone’s honor. Rapid River senior Madison LaCrosse played in honor of Lori LaCrosse.

“That was really great and super sweet of them.” Rockets coach Ellie Moberg said. “Madison had no idea they knew. I didn’t know they knew. They really did everything for us. I really love this school environment in general.”

As for the game itself, the Black Bears used a seven-point serve from Lila Morris and a four-point serve from Thill to eke out a win in the first set. Thill scored four of her kills and one of her aces to help the Black Bears secure the third set.

Thill continued to cause chaos in the fifth and final set. A kill attempt was tipped out of bounds, leading to a 7-5 lead. Thill then fired two aces in a row and extended the lead to 10:5.

“They have a really good deep line game.” Carley said of the Rockets. “A lot of their serves and a lot of their hits were pushed back out of bounds. At the beginning we just couldn’t do it.”

The Rockets trailed 21-18 in the second set, but Saylor Carlson quickly turned the tide. The sophomore hit three aces as part of a 7-1 run to close out the second frame.

The Rockets saw a 20-17 lead turn into a 22-20 deficit in the fourth set, but they didn’t panic. Carlson blocked Thill to get within one point. Carlson made another block at the end of the frame that Big Bay couldn’t return, the final shot in a 5-1 run that won set four.

“It was an incredible five games” Moberg said. “We knew things would turn around once we got all of our girls back on the field and everyone playing.”

Thill finished with 22 kills, 13 digs, six aces and two blocks. Peterson added 21 assists, 13 digs and four aces. Payton Pederson totaled 16 digs, three aces and one kill. Lila Morris collected seven aces, five kills and two digs. Dixie Morries received 30 helpers, four digs and an ace. Tatum Harvey received 15 honors. Destiny Bleau had four digs, two kills and an ace. Cali Miller added three digs.

Carlson finished the game with seven aces, three kills and one block. Emma Sundling had four kills and a pair of aces. Angeline Goodman totaled three aces and one kill. LaCrosse had an ace and a kill. Donna McDonald had two kills. Alivia Frappier and Aubrey Olson each had an ace.