Deckerville Rallies Past Kingston in Four Sets

Cardinals take opening set 25-20 before Deckerville responds with three straight victories to claim the match, 3-1

KINGSTON — Kingston came out strong against Deckerville on Tuesday night, taking the opening set before the Eagles responded to win the next three and hand the Cardinals a 3-1 varsity volleyball loss.

Kingston opened the match with one of its strongest stretches of the night. The Cardinals battled their way to a 25-20 victory in Set 1, putting themselves in front 1-0.

Deckerville answered in the second set. The Eagles evened the match with a 25-17 victory before taking control in the third, winning 25-8 to move ahead two sets to one.

Kingston regrouped and put together a more competitive effort in the fourth, but Deckerville closed out the match with a 25-18 victory, securing the 3-1 win.

Despite the loss, Kingston received contributions throughout its lineup.

Ellie Bostian led the Cardinals offensively with nine kills while adding one assist and three digs. Brianna Rayl contributed across the stat sheet with four kills, three aces, nine digs, one assist and one block.

Ella Koehler directed much of Kingston's offense with a team-high 10 assists while adding two aces and five digs.

Defensively, Maichen Papke led Kingston with 16 digs and added an ace. Josie Binder recorded 13 digs and an ace, while Peyton Michalski finished with seven digs, two assists and a block.

Kingston also generated pressure from the service line. Rayl and Olivia Sherrod each recorded three aces, while Koehler and Jayla Hunter added two apiece.

Key Takeaways

Strong opening set: Kingston started the match on the right foot, defeating Deckerville 25-20 to take an early 1-0 advantage.

Deckerville takes control: The Eagles responded by winning three consecutive sets, with their biggest separation coming in a 25-8 third-set victory.

Bostian leads the attack: Ellie Bostian paced Kingston with nine kills, more than half of the Cardinals' 14 reported kills.

Back-row effort: Maichen Papke and Josie Binder combined for 29 digs, with Papke leading the Cardinals with 16.

Service-line production: Kingston recorded 13 aces from six different players, led by Brianna Rayl and Olivia Sherrod with three apiece.