Despite the defeat, the Lumberjacks showcased several standout moments that kept the competition tight throughout the match.

Brooklyn Latuszek was a key offensive player for ACC, consistently delivering spikes that challenged Delta’s defense. Her powerful attacks helped the team stay competitive during key moments, forcing the Pioneers to react quickly to keep the ball in play.

Maddi Dipzinski contributed with her deceptive setting skills, often faking out Delta’s blockers by making it appear she was passing to one player only to send the ball to another. The strategy created scoring opportunities and allowed ACC to capitalize on critical plays.

The Lumberjacks displayed strong court awareness, particularly in the team’s ability to determine whether balls were headed out of bounds.

News Photo by Leslianne Johns Alpena Community College’s Maddi Dipzinski and Kirsten Neubecker block the ball during ACC’s loss to the Delta College Pioneers on Friday at ACC.

Head coach Courtney Holmes praised her team’s decision-making, explaining how the players train for such scenarios during practice.

“We work specifically in practices on hard, long-driven balls and train the technique of following the ball all the way to the line in several different situations,” Holmes said. “We do our absolute best to put those back in the system rather than stay out of it.”

Both teams battled through long, intense rallies throughout the match.

ACC’s Raquelle Miller and Sydney Hitzelberger made several full-body dives to save balls from touching the floor, helping extend key rallies and keeping the team in contention for points. Their defensive plays were crucial in keeping the game competitive.

“We did a really nice job of making sure that we stayed engaged and made good choices throughout those long plays,” Holmes said. “We’ve worked hard on conditioning to ensure we can still hustle for balls even when we’re several plays deep into a rally.”

News Photo by Leslieanne Johns Alpena Community College’s Sydney Hitzelberger prepares to receive the ball during ACC’s loss to the Delta College Pioneers on Friday at ACC.

ACC held a significant lead in the second set before Delta surged back to win 22-25.

Holmes attributed the shift in momentum to unforced errors on ACC’s side while acknowledging Delta’s resilience.

“We made some errors that allowed Delta to get back into the game,” she said. “Credit to them for fighting back, but we’ll go back to practice and work on eliminating those mistakes.”

Defensively, Dipzinski, Miller, and Kirsten Neubecker were vital at the net, contributing several important blocks that helped slow Delta’s offense. Those efforts were particularly impactful in the third set, as ACC worked to close the gap against the Pioneers.

While Delta took all three sets, Holmes remained optimistic about her team’s performance.

News Photo by Leslieanne Johns The Alpena Community College Lumberjacks huddle together during the second set of ACC’s loss to the Delta College Pioneers on Friday at ACC.

“I think this is one of the best matches we’ve played all year,” she said. “I felt our team hit a new level in their cohesiveness in the way they’re gelling together. I’m very excited about that, and I think it’s going to help propel us into the last third of our season.”