Madison 3-Sporter Wall Soars in Every Season
January 25, 2019
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
ADRIAN – How good of a senior year is Kaiya Wall having?
In the fall, Wall again earned all-state honors after leading Adrian Madison to 47 victories, conference and District championships, and she signed a letter of intent to play Division I volleyball after high school.
This winter, her Madison basketball team is 8-0, ranked among the state’s 10 best Division 3 teams by The Associated Press and sitting atop the Tri-County Conference.
What’s more amazing is her best might still be yet to come. Wall figures to be an anchor on a Madison girls track squad that has won 87 consecutive Tri-County Conference dual meets and could be an MHSAA title contender this spring.
“I don’t know if she has a ‘best’ sport,” said Madison track coach Josh Powers. “She is pretty darn good at all three she is playing.”
Wall is one of those rare athletes who can jump from sport to sport without skipping a beat. In the summer, she would split time between summer basketball and travel volleyball.
She is the third-leading scorer on Madison’s undefeated basketball team heading into tonight’s TCC clash with Ottawa Lake Whiteford. She also is one of top defenders on a suffocating Trojans defense giving up just 24.3 points per game. Three of Madison’s last four opponents have been held to 20 or fewer points.
Wall missed basketball season last year due to an injury, but her return this year has solidified the Trojans on the court.
“Kaiya has made a tremendous impact on our team this season,” Madison basketball coach Rick McNeil said. “She is very quick and has become an outstanding defender.”
Wall also has improved on the offensive end. McNeil said that has been the biggest difference for her.
“She has developed her ball handling skills, and we are able to move her to the guard position where she is a match-up problem for many teams because of her height and speed,” McNeil said. “She is an excellent passer and has the ability to hit the perimeter shot.”
Playing volleyball in college was far from a slam dunk decision. She also was recruited for track.
“I struggled deciding between track and volleyball,” Wall said. “I’ve gone on visits for both. I knew I wanted to play something in college. When I fell in love with that campus, I just decided I wanted to play volleyball.”
Wall was the Lenawee County volleyball player of the year as a junior and has earned second-team all-state honors three years running. She finished her career just shy of 2,000 kills and signed to play collegiately at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.
During her career she played in 545 sets, compiling 1,986 kills, 933 digs and 280 blocks – strong numbers for a girl who didn’t play competitive volleyball until seventh grade and only after friends talked her into it.
“I was terrible,” she said. “I was this tall, skinny girl, and they were like, ‘OK, you can play.’”
Her friends made a smart choice. Wall blossomed into a 5-foot-11 outside hitter.
“When I first met Kaiya, she was very raw with so much natural athleticism,” said Kathy Albers, now the head coach at Ypsilanti Lincoln who at one time coached Wall in travel volleyball. “She just needed to be taught and for someone to believe in her – but push her. After her first year of club with us, the talent was so apparent.
“She improved so much faster than most. Her height plus her jumping ability makes her tough at the net, and her quickness makes up for everything else.”
At Madison, Wall played for Dawn Opsal for her first three years and Kelsey Cortright this past season. Cortright stepped into the Madison job and saw first-hand Wall’s athleticism and leadership ability.
“Most importantly, she puts her team before herself,” Cortright said. “She is selfless and encouraging to all those around her, making her a role model for others both on and off the court. Outside of her abilities as a team leader, her athletic ability is remarkable.”
Jackson State coaches noticed that ability before ever seeing her in person. They found out about her by viewing a highlight video she had posted online. They reached out, and she went to Mississippi for a visit and fell in love with the campus and volleyball program.
Another criteria that helped her choose Jackson State was its academics. Wall has a 3.93 grade-point average and ranks 12th in her senior class at Madison.
“I plan on going into pre-med,” she said. “I want to be a trauma surgeon. They have a very good program.”
Had she not become enamored with the volleyball program, she might have been a track signee.
Wall won the Division 3 Finals 100-meter hurdles title as a freshman. As a sophomore she helped Madison win the team championship by finishing second in the high jump. Last year she was ninth in the high jump, second in the 100 hurdles and on the runner-up 1,600 relay team as the Trojans placed seventh as a team.
Powers, who will be inducted into the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame next week in Lansing, said Wall is determined.
“She takes advice and works on it,” he said. “I am, and I think she is, expecting her best track season yet.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Adrian Madison’s Kaiya Wall works to deflect a shot this season against Clinton. (Middle) Wall serves during a Division 3 Volleyball Semifinal in 2016.
Breslin Bound: 2025-26 Girls Report Week 1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 15, 2025
We’re one week into the 2025-26 girls basketball season, and several annual contenders wasted little time seeing how they match up against each other – at least to start this winter.
Of course, there’s a long way to go before all is said and done. But there were plenty of solid statements, with more opportunities to shake things up as we settle into holiday break this weekend.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Howell 41, Detroit Edison 26 The Highlanders (3-0) closed an impressive first week by downing Edison (2-1) at the Best of Michigan Holiday Classic at Belleville.
2. Frankenmuth 48, Portland 46 These two have played a series of stunners over the last two seasons, as Portland (1-1) won last year’s regular-season meeting by one and Frankenmuth (2-0) avenged in a Division 2 Regional Final.
3. Bath 71, Fowler 41 The Bees (3-0) avenged last season losses by nine and 34 to the Eagles (0-2), the reigning Division 4 champions.
4. Wayne Memorial 55, Detroit Renaissance 33 Wayne (2-0) won this rematch of a Division 1 Regional Final from last season, also won by the Zebras, at the Best of Michigan Tournament at Detroit Mercy.
5. Jackson Lumen Christi 50, Michigan Center 28 The Titans (2-0) opened in a big way in a matchup of teams that both won 19 games last winter.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Plymouth (3-0) After back-to-back six-win finishes earlier this decade, Plymouth improved to 14 victories two seasons ago and 15-8 last winter. The Wildcats could be ready to take another step after opening this season with a 30-point win over Flat Rock, a 17-pointer over Dearborn Heights Crestwood and a 19-point victory over Brownstown Woodhaven. They’ll have a chance to avenge last season’s first defeat, to Berkley, when they meet Friday.
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (3-0) Last year’s solid 16-8 run started with a loss to Walled Lake Northern, but Stoney Creek got off to a better start this time with a 35-32 victory over Northern last week. The Cougars followed with 41-32 victories over both White Lake Lakeland and Rochester Adams, and they could get another good gauge on their early-season progress when they host Goodrich on Wednesday.
DIVISION 2
Ionia (2-0) The opening week gave the Bulldogs a spark, and they’ll have an even bigger opportunity this week. Ionia started with a 51-44 win over St. Johns – avenging a loss from a year ago – before defeating Lake Odessa Lakewood. But these next few days could be telling, as Ionia hosts Eaton Rapids on Tuesday after tying the Greyhounds for second in the Capital Area Activities Conference White last winter. On Friday, Ionia travels to face reigning champion Portland, which also ended the Bulldogs season in March.
Kalkaska (2-0) Last week was one of the most successful for the Blazers in some time as they opened with a 33-32 overtime victory over Mancelona, then edged Benzie Central 26-23. Kalkaska finished 3-19 last season – and had won a combined five games over the last four. The Blazers will play in this weekend’s Elk Rapids Invitational to finish up a memorable December.
DIVISION 3
Lawton (2-0) A 50-45 win over South Haven and 53-30 victory over Constantine got the Blue Devils moving in the right direction again as they look to build on last winter’s 15-6 finish and third place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley. Next up is Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep – which finished second in the Valley last season, defeating Lawton twice – before the Blue Devils close 2025 with Watervliet at the Bangor Holiday Shootout.
Tawas (3-0) Tawas has jumped from four, to eight, to 13 wins over the last three seasons, and could be in for an exciting run given its success during the first week. A 44-32 win over Houghton Lake avenged a 30-point loss from last season, a 36-32 victory over Au Gres-Sims avenged a 20-point defeat from February, and a 27-16 win over Alpena came after 20 and 25-point losses to the Wildcats last winter.
DIVISION 4
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (3-0) The Lancers have won 14 or 15 games three times this decade, including in going 15-9 a year ago, and they are well on their way to approaching those totals again. Oakland Christian hung on for a 32-26 win over Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, but defeated Pontiac and Brighton Charyl Stockwell Academy by much more comfortable margins.
Reading (3-0) The Rangers finished fifth in the Big 8 Conference last season, but then won a pair of close matchups to claim a District title and advanced all the way to the Regional Finals. They earned double-digit wins over Camden-Frontier, Colon and Litchfield to kick off this campaign last week, and Tuesday’s matchup with reigning Big 8 co-champion Bronson could tell a lot.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Friday – Rockford (2-0) vs. Howell (3-0) at Cornerstone University – These two are in a high-powered Cornerstone Invitational bracket with DeWitt and Coldwater.
Friday – Concord (0-1) at Bronson (0-1) – This pair shared the Big 8 Conference title last season after splitting their regular-season series.
Saturday – Tecumseh (3-0) at Detroit Edison (2-1) – The 2023 Division 2 champion Pioneers – semifinalists last year – host the reigning title winner at their Pioneer Classic.
Dec. 29 – Pewamo-Westphalia (2-0) at Flint Powers Catholic (1-0) – P-W won last year’s matchup 53-50 on the way to finishing 25-1, while Powers went enjoyed an 18-6 run.
Jan. 3 – Tecumseh (3-0) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (2-1) – Tecumseh definitely isn’t taking it easy over break, with this a rematch of last winter’s Division 2 Final.
MHSAA.com's weekly “Breslin Bound” reports are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Click to connect with MI Student Aid and find more information on Facebook and X @mistudentaid.
PHOTO Negaunee's Gretel Johnson drives to the net while being defended by Lexi Curran during the Miners' 43-26 win over Marquette on Dec. 9. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)