The Spartans celebrate after winning Wednesday's third game, 29-27.
Angela Carollo had a strong game on the front line for the Falcons despite their loss to Pinconning.
Brent Baker
Pinny's Devyn Podsiadlik goes up for a big hit at Ogemaw Heights on Wednesday.

OGEMAW HEIGHTS - Oct. 8, 2008 - Pinconning got off to a roaring start Wednesday at Ogemaw Heights, then came up big at the ends of a pair of close games to steal a five-game NEMC victory at Ogemaw Heights on Wednesday.

The Spartans may be out of the running for league title contention, but they've made it their business to have an effect on the title chase, and their 25-16, 21-25, 29-27, 23-25, 17-15 victory knocked Ogemaw out of a first-place tie with John Glenn.

The Falcons still have a home match remaining with the Bobcats, so their fate is still in their own hands, but for Pinny, Wednesday's victory was enough for the moment.

"This will definitely be a memory for me," said Pinny coach Brandon Little. "I really don't even know what to say. That was pretty wild."

Emily Sheltrown and Kalena Franklin keyed an 8-1 Falcon run that gave them an 11-6 lead in the fifth and final 15-point game.

But Sarah Schumacher had a pair of kills and two more points off tips to make it a two-point game, and Chelsea Adcock served up three straight points to give Pinny a 15-14 lead.

Things really got interesting when officials originally ruled that an Ogemaw hit touched the curtain hanging high over the net, which would have given Pinny the winning point. But after Falcon protests and consultation between the officials, the point was replayed, and Angela Carollo's tip tied it at 15-15.

It was only a temporary reprieve for the Falcons, who gave up a carry and hit one well out of bounds to end it.

"Our fundamentals hurt us tonight," said Falcon coach Diane Gillette. "Although we did not have many missed serves we did have them at crucial times in the match. We had the lead in both the third and fifth games but could not finish."

"We've just kept drilling with the girls that they need to swing away and keep swinging away," Little said. "With Ogemaw, you can't just tip it at them, and I thought the girls did a great job of just going out and hitting the ball."

That was certainly true for Schumacher and Devyn Podsiadlik, who weren't shy about hammering away at the ball from the outset. The Spartans bolted to an 18-4 lead in the first game, and though the Falcons pulled together and cut the deficit to seven, they weren't able to complete the comeback.

The Falcons led by a narrow margin through the second game before pulling out the win. The dramatics began in the middle set, with neither team leading by more than one until reaching the 20s. The Falcons led 21-18 and 23-21 before hitting three straight out of bounds to put Pinny up 24-23. The Spartans returned the favor, and the teams went back and forth until Adcock and Podsiadlik scored on consecutive kills to break the 27-27 tie.

Ogemaw responded in the fourth game, with Angela Carollo and Paige Bachelder getting key hits and Lauren Gillette serving an ace and placing a deep ball in the corner to give the Falcons a 25-23 victory.

That tied it at 2-2 and set the stage for the wild fifth game.

"After the loss last week to John Glenn, we knew we had to do something different," Little said. "We figured out what we needed to do to start playing the way we should and really worked hard at putting it in at practice.

"We played well Saturday in Suttons Bay, and that gave us a confidence boost," Little said. "We preached that if we hit the ball hard, good things happen, and tonight they did."

The Falcons (22-6-4, 5-2 NEMC) drop a game behind John Glenn, but host the Bobcats on Oct. 29 for a match that will still determine at least a share of the league title if Ogemaw doesn't drop another league game before that.

"We will go forward and learn from our mistakes," Gillette said. "We still have a shot at (winning the) conference and I think we have the skill to do it."

Pinny (10-19-6, 3-4) hosts Standish-Sterling on Oct. 15, while the Falcons' next league contest is the same evening at home against Tawas.

Pinny Stats: Kelsey Beck 11 digs; Emme Duranczyak 6 kills; Chelsea Adcock 6 kills, 3 aces; Chelsea Gruszynski 9 digs, 37 assists, 3 aces; Sarah Lijewski 8 digs; Sarah Schumacher 24 kills, 9 digs, 5 aces; Devyn Podsiadlik 10 kills, 2 block, 3 aces.

Ogemaw Stats: Jorie Lucas 2 aces, 18 digs; Lauren Gillette 2 aces, 30 assists, 9 kills; Angela Carollo 14 kills; Kalena Franklin 9 kills, 3 blocks; Emily Sheltrown 10 kills, 27 digs.