By Dan Hardenbrook
The Newberry Lady Indians are the 2025 EUP Conference Volleyball Champions! Newberry clinched its first league title since the 1990s with a 3-0 straight set victory over the Pickford Panthers late last week.
The Lady Indians also clinched the top seed for their upcoming MHSAA Division 4 District Tournament, which will get underway next week.
The Lady Indians were red-hot in the title-earning matchup against the Panthers, and were fresh off a pair of massive wins over league rivals Rudyard and St. Ignace. Despite those big wins, Newberry needed a victory over the Panthers to avoid letting other teams back into a tie for the top spot. Newberry’s girls rose to the occasion, winning the matchup by scores of 25-19, 25-9, and 25-18.
The convincing victory signaled a return to the top for the Newberry volleyball program. Led by first-year coach Kayla Welker, Newberry pulled off their 7th consecutive match win and the 9th win in their last 10 games.
Newberry, playing with a blend of youth and experience, size and skill, and unwavering determination, took home this year’s EUP Championship with a league record of 11-1, including season series sweeps against Engadine, Pickford, Brimley, Cedarville-DeTour, and Rudyard.
The girls wrapped up their 2025 regular season Tuesday at Maplewood Baptist and now turn their attention to postseason play. Newberry earned them the top seed and a first-round bye in next week’s MHSAA Division 4 District 101 Tournament.
That top seeding could pay off bigtime for the Lady Indians. The other six teams in their bracket will play an extra game on Monday, and the winners will advance to join Newberry, who will be waiting in the semifinals. The Lady Indians will only have to play a maximum of two games, and if they reach the finals, they would face off against an opponent that would be playing their third game in five days.
Monday’s opening round games include Bay Mills Ojibwe Charter taking on Maplewood Baptist, and the winner will be Newberry’s semifinal opponent on Wednesday, November 5. Other first round matchups are second-seed Rudyard vs. Brimley, and Engadine vs Pickford. Those two winners also meet in semifinal action next Wednesday. The district championship game will be Friday, November 7.
All district tournament games will be played in Rudyard.
