Here's how Gaylord, St. Mary and JoBurg volleyball fared in districts

MANCELONA — Johannesburg-Lewiston's 2026 volleyball season has had a split theme: things they can control, and things they can't.

JoBurg (31-6-9) has done great with what they have been given; an injury to star player Mady Peppin to begin the year nearly spelled doom for the Cardinals, but multiple players stepped up in her place to help put up more than 30 wins and compete for the Ski Valley Conference title.

A number of things were outside the control of the Cardinals and head coach Kristine Peppin, however, including that devastating injury and, more recently, their district draw.

A healthy Peppin might have helped the Cards put together a run in one of the toughest Division 3 brackets but, with heavy hitters like Elk Rapids and Traverse City St. Francis awaiting them in the later rounds, it was going to take an all-out effort to make it through without her. After a 3-1 victory (25-21, 25-23, 11-25, 25-22) over Maple City Glen Lake in the first round, Elk Rapids defeated the Cardinals 3-1 (21-25, 18-25, 25-21, 18-25) in the semifinals, bringing JL's season to a close.

The Lily Crane-Emery Lawes duo continued to dominate the offense in the final two matches of the season, combining for 22 kills in the win over Glen Lake and 26 kills in the loss to Elk Rapids. Junior Hailey Bober finished a breakout season with two great performances, leading the team with 23 digs and four aces in round one and 28 digs and an ace in the semifinals.

It signals the end of the volleyball careers for seniors Mady Peppin, Lily Crane, Neela Lawes, Ashlynn Burke and Addison Lake, a group that helped JoBurg win a district title in 2025 and finish with over 30 wins in back-to-back seasons.

Key returners for next year's team include Emery Lawes, GraceLynn Lawes and Hailey Bober.

GSM battles to five sets vs. Boyne Falls, Gaylord swept by Petoskey

Gaylord St. Mary (6-23-1) had a chance to rewrite the headlines of its season heading into a Division 4 district bracket on Monday, Nov. 2, but came up just short in the semifinals vs. Boyne Falls (25-18, 19-25, 25-20, 23-25, 10-15) on Wednesday, Nov. 4, falling in the fifth set to bring the Snowbirds' 2026 season to a close.

Sophomore Laney Perdue was the top offensive threat all season for the Snowbirds, and her performance helped GSM jump out to a 2-1 lead after the first three sets. GSM nearly ended things in the fourth set, needing just two points to finish off a 3-1 upset victory, but Boyne Falls senior Olivia Pineda-Anderson fought through an ankle injury to lead her team to a comeback victory in set four, then helped the Loggers lead start-to-finish in a 15-10 fifth-set victory.

While their record might not show it, the Snowbirds' 2026 season had plenty of moments for coach Christie Perdue to be excited about the future, including the dominant three-set sweep of Wolverine (25-9, 25-10, 25-17) in the first round of the playoffs. GSM graduates one senior, Lily Keister, returning much of its core for 2027.

Meanwhile, the Gaylord Blue Devils (3-26-1) ended their season after a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Petoskey (19-25, 18-25, 14-25) on Monday, Nov. 2, ending a season that was seemingly doomed by injuries from before volleyball even started.

Sophomore Myla Montgomery was likely bound for a breakout season before a knee injury took her out of the lineup before the first match. By the time the season concluded, three more Blue Devils (Bindi Samalik, Jenna Wangler, Hadley Sorenson) joined her on the bench with various injuries, forcing lineup changes even up to the final week of the regular season.

Seniors Sarah Klepadlo, Maiya McDonald, Lily Willbee, Lily Lauer and Brooklyn Robertson say goodbye after helping guide the GHS program through a tumultuous era that included three different coaches in their final three seasons. Still, the youth coming up in the program should have the Blue Devils in a more stable spot in years to come.

Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen.