Bring on the Titans: Dakota Volleyball to Face Stevenson in Regional Final

Fraser had that "deer-in-the-headlights" look about them since the early moments of Tuesday night's against at Anchor Bay High School.

Dakota, paced by sophomore sensation, Carli Snyder, simply steamrolled past Fraser, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19, with a combination of power and finesse to advance to the regional final Thursday night at Anchor Bay against Macomb Area Conference White champion, Stevenson.

"We knew going in it wasn't going to be easy," said Dakota coach Tracie Furguson. "Fraser is a great team and they've been such a big rival for us over the years. It's just a great accomplishment for us. We're setting the standard at Dakota, and we're hopeful it's something we can continue this season and beyond."

This standard continues to rise under the guidance of Furguson and her staff, who are in their fourth year leading the program at Dakota. 

"All of our seniors started with me," Furguson said. "And it's been day-in-and-day-out for that time, trying to get better–working hard. It's been about repetition and making it come natural."

The Cougars looked very natural Tuesday night against a Fraser squad that wrapped up the regular season 23-17-1 overall and with a district title to boot. 

"We played them twice this season already," said Dakota senior Rebecca Harla. "We didn't want to overlook them for sure, and we didn't. I think this helps us get ready for Thursday, for sure."

Thursday's showdown is exactly what volleyball fans would've expected heading into the regionals. Stevenson (49-2-2) has been outstanding, knocking off MAC Red power, Grosse Pointe North, in the regional opener to earn a spot in the title game Thursday night against Dakota.

That said, the Cougars have also had their fair-share of success heading into the final. Dakota earned a share of the MAC Red title in 2011, and comes into Thursday night's contest with as much confidence as anyone could hope.

"I think we're playing our best volleyball right now," Harla said. "We knew all along we had the potential, but we had to work hard, stay together, and go out and do it."

Thursday night's regional final gets underway at 7 p.m. at Anchor Bay High School in New Baltimore.