Elks down St. Francis for volleyball district title

TRAVERSE CITY – For the last two volleyball seasons Elk Rapids has been swept by St. Francis in the district championship game.

Going back further, the Gladiators have ended the Elks’ volleyball season in district play every year since 2014, excluding the 2017 season when Elk Rapids won the district title, playing in a different bracket than St. Francis. All these past frustrations were forgotten on Saturday in the Division 3 district championship game as the Elks ended the St. Francis volleyball season with a 3-1 win (25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-15) and took home the district championship trophy.

Originally scheduled to be played in Glen Lake, the district games were moved to Traverse City Central starting with semifinal play due to COVID issues. The Elks reached the finals with three-set sweeps of Grand Traverse Academy (25-4, 25-18, 25-6) and Glen Lake (25-23, 25-21, 25-16), and on the other side of the bracket St. Francis advanced downing Benzie Central in three sets, then ended the season for the Mancelona Ironmen with a three-set sweep (25-14, 25-16, 25-7), setting up the third consecutive meeting for the two squads in the district final.