ALPENA — The Alpena High varsity volleyball team hosted its annual senior night on Monday.

All six seniors were honored, including Avery Dubey, Eden Gray, Olivia Precord, Laurel Alberts, Grace Samp, and Sydney Hitzelberger.

The Wildcats took on Tawas and won three out of four sets by scores of 20-25, 25-14, 25-19 and 25-22.

“All of these girls have contributed to this program over the past four years, with some even being three or four years varsity players,” Alpena coach Kolby Andrews said. “They’ve all played a lot of other sports together, so the communication and camaraderie have always been there. I’m super proud of everything these girls have accomplished, and I’m happy to come out with the win.”

The first set began with Alpena’s promising 3-0 early lead. That lead slowly deteriorated until Tawas tied the match at 8-8.

After tying the game, the Braves proceeded on an 11-4 run that quickly put the game out of reach from the Wildcats. That run brought the score to 12-19, and Tawas soon finished off the 20-25 win.

Despite losing the first set, Alpena was determined to return and handle business.

Alpena went on an immediate 9-1 lead because of some incredible serves from Dubey.

The Wildcats maintained that substantial lead until the team finished off the double-digit win by a score of 25-14.

The third set went much like the second, with the Wildcats taking advantage of a few massive mistakes by Tawas.

A 7-2 lead was taken by Alpena and capped off by a kill from Madelynn Cameron.

Although Alpena took a commanding lead, the Braves battled back until the score was knotted up at 15-15. That tie continued back and forth by scores of 17-17, 18-18, and 19-19.

Eventually, the Wildcats pulled away for the final six points and won the set 25-19.

The fourth set was nearly as close as the third, with both sides continuing to exchange points almost every time the other team scored.

A 7-7 tie occurred early, followed by 14-14, 15-15, and 16-16.

Finally, one side pulled away in favor of the Wildcats, with Alpena completing the 25-22 win.

“After the first set, I knew we needed to calm down,” Andrews said. “It’s an emotional night for everyone on this team, and you have to expect that as a coach. We made a few minor adjustments, but our key was getting into a rhythm and limiting our mistakes.”

Alpena plays Gaylord on Wednesday night.

Alpena kill leaders were Reaghan Fitzpatrick, Cameron, and Hitzelberger. Fitzpatrick had seven, while Cameron and Hitzelberger each had four.

Leading the Wildcats in assists was Dubey with 15.

Along with assists, Dubey led the team with six aces. Samp also combined with six aces.