Eleanor Williams and her Romeo volleyball teammates came up with the perfect birthday present for their coach and Eleanor’s mom, Stacy.

It was a back-to-back Division 1 district championship.

The outside hitting of Eleanor Williams and Emma Rosenow, who combined for 30 kills, powered the Bulldogs to a 22-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-18 victory over Dakota on Thursday in the district final at Port Huron High School. .

“I got him another present anyway, but this is the best,” Eleanor said.

It was a tough district with four Macomb Area Conference Red Division teams in the field.

“We knew we had to have a lot of urgency and aggression. I just want more than the other team,” Eleanor Williams said. “We need that to get where we are now.”

Dakota reached the championship game by defeating the two Port Huron schools. Romeo advanced with wins against MAC Red foes Anchor Bay and L’Anse Creuse North.

“I don’t think we’ve seen a district with four MAC Red teams in it,” Stacy Williams said. “We knew we had a challenge ahead of us, but if we get through it, the win will be a lot bigger because we knew we had to play great teams and fight every night.”

The battle didn’t stop with the MAC Red overall final.

The Cougars broke a 22-all tie in the first game with three consecutive points, a block by Katerina Stout and kills by Stout and Kimora Hansbrough.

After Dakota won the first set, it was time for some soul searching for the Bulldogs.

“We said we’re not losing,” said Rosenow, who had a team-high 17 kills. “We don’t let this be our last game. We love each other too much for this to be our last game. I think we wanted more. It all came down to that.”

A coaching strategy was also involved.

“We had to tighten up our defense,” Stacy Williams said. “It was a big difference between the defense in the first set and the defense in the second set. When our defense gets going, our offense can get going too. Our defense prevented us from having a good offensive game.

“That was because of Dakota’s offense. They were hitting the ball. (Abby Wutka) was crushing the ball. It’s hard to defend.”

Dakota led 7-4 in the second set, but Romeo went on a 15-4 run to take a lead it never relinquished. The Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run with three points on Rosenow’s kill.

Runs of 5-0 and 7-1 helped Romeo take the third set.

“Volleyball is a huge momentum game and we didn’t do well rebounding after scoring a few points,” Dakota coach Melissa Criteser said. “We couldn’t come back with the confidence, drive and strength that you need.

“They are very competitive and big on the net. Their serving got the best of us tonight. Our serve-receive pressure was a little less. I knew his coming would be a tough match with Romeo. They wanted a little more than we wanted. They kept us on our heels a little bit tonight.”

The Cougars weren’t going to go down without a fight and jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the fourth set.

Then, freshman Addison Bultynck took over for the Bulldogs; She served seven straight points, including two aces, and when a Wutka kill ended the run, Romeo was ahead 12-11.

Stacy Williams called timeout with the score 10-3.

“It was time to refocus, to put things into perspective,” she said. “Between the third and fourth sets we got a little excited and looked too far ahead. We had to refocus and say we still have work to do. There are no holidays yet. They responded very well.

“Addison Bultynck got behind the service line and got us going. She kept it consistent and competitive in her service so we could run. She is mentally strong. She doesn’t play like a freshman.”

It wasn’t just Bultynck’s serve that made the difference in the deciding set. Late in the set, she had back-to-back kills from the right side and a dig that set up a kill by Christina Rosenow.

“She’s amazing. She’s crazy good, absolutely incredible for a freshman,” said Eleanor Williams.

“It’s been exciting to watch her grow throughout the year,” added Emma Rosenow.

The fourth set ended with a kill by Ava Blomquist, the only senior in Romeo’s regular rotation.

“Kaylah Liedke played a great game defensively,” Stacy Williams said. “Layla Babich just started playing volleyball in July and has been very good as a first year player. Christina Rosenow has become an integral part of our team.”

This was an unusual season for Dakota, who finished 14-22-1.

Photos from Romeo’s 3-1 district championship win over Dakota on Thursday

“We’ve been dealing with injuries all year,” Criteser said. “Our training was quite different from week to week. We took districts as fresh into a new season and pushed to reach the district finals. I came tonight with energy. We studied the film and knew what we wanted. I wish Romeo the best of luck in their race.

“I am proud of my team. They worked hard all year. My seniors were huge. They gave us excellent leadership. They fought hard. They played hard. I couldn’t be happier. I hate to see it end.”

Wutka led the Cougars with 15 kills and four blocks. Stout had seven kills and two blocks. Olivia Thamarus finished with five kills, two aces and 13 digs.

Romeo advances to the Troy regional where it will play either Chippewa Valley or Fraser at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday.