PINCONNING - Sep. 3, 2008 - Ogemaw Heights' volleyball team was missing several key players, and Pinconning is rebuilding. But it was still an NEMC contest that featured the defending champion Falcons against the traditional power, and the intensity of the match reflected that.

The Falcons, who last year ended Pinny's quarter-century run of NEMC titles, topped the Spartans 25-23, 15-25, 25-22, 25-22 to keep pace with Standish-Sterling and John Glenn, both of which also won Wednesday.

"Pinny's my alma mater, so anytime we can beat them, I'll take it," said Ogemaw coach Diane Gillette. "We pulled together, played together and did a good job of talking to each other. I told the girls just to hit, hit, hit and keep on hitting, and if a few of them went out, that was OK.

The Falcons, adjusting to life without senior Jacie Lucas, whose injured knee will keep her out indefinitely, called up sophomores Mackenzie Diehl and Paige Bachelder, and both saw plenty of key playing time in their first game on what has traditionally been the NEMC's toughest court.

But both filled in admirably, with Diehl digging out several tough Pinny hits from her libero position, and Bachelder making several kills along the front line.

"The JV players hung in their pretty well," Gillette said. "It was a makeshift lineup, but it came together pretty well."

With all the new faces in unfamiliar places, it was senior Emily Sheltrown who came up with most of the big hits, including several kills in the Falcons' 9-1 run that in the fourth game that overcame a 23-18 deficit. Sheltrown and Bachelder did the damage on the front line, and Lauren Gillette picked up a handful of her 23 assists, as well as placing a ball in the back corner that made it 23-18.

The Falcons won the tightly contested first game, with Shelby Marshall coming on to serve three consecutive aces to break an 18-18 tie.

Pinny got untracked in the second game, feeding the ball consistently to front-liners Devyn Podsiadlik and Sarah Schumacher while building as much as a 12-point lead.

Ogemaw held a slim lead through most of the third game, but the Falcons got a block and a kill from Sheltrown and a Marshall ace to go up at 24-19 and held on for the win.

Though the loss dropped Pinny to 1-8 overall, first-year coach Brandon Little said he was happy with his team's play.

"We showed a lot of heart and effort," he said. "At times in our tournaments we've played like it doesn't count for anything. But for the conference, the girls really stepped it up.

"I don't think I would have changed anything. The girls stepped it up and played the best they could."

Ogemaw Stats: Lauren Gillette 7 kills, 2 aces, 23 assists, 15 digs; Emily Sheltrown 9 kills, 20 digs; Jorie Lucas 23 digs; Kalena Franklin 10 kills.