Block Party: 2025 Girls Volleyball Week 4 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 16, 2025
A significant reason we've been able to begin reporting on the weekly progress of Michigan's volleyball teams this fall was the addition of Michigan Power Ratings as a contributor to the sport's MHSAA Tournament format for the 2024 season.
MPR is used to seed the top two teams in every District, and requires all to report their schedules and scores throughout the regular season. Those ratings take into account not only a team's success but also its strength of schedule, and MPR is constantly updating as matches finish and results are published to the MHSAA website.
Check out the Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) page for more details, but also note that rankings referred to below instead reflect the latest polls posted by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA).
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart d. Fowler (25-19, 26-24, 11-25, 25-13) The Irish (11-3-3) were ranked No. 8 last week but have jumped two spots after defeating the formerly top-ranked Eagles (9-3-1).
2. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern d. Byron Center (25-16, 25-17) This Huskies win arguably sticks out most from a Makayla Kohn Memorial Tournament run that also included victories over Forest Hills Central, Traverse City St. Francis, Edwardsburg and host Caledonia, with the 5-0 day sending FHN to 16-5-0 overall.
3. Hudsonville d. Grand Rapids Christian (25-22, 26-28, 25-17, 20-25, 15-12) West Michigan is powerful as usual, and these are two of the best again with Hudsonville (9-2-0) an honorable mention in Division 1 last week and Grand Rapids Christian (7-4-0) No. 2 in Division 2.
4. Northville d. Bloomfield Hills (25-22, 25-20) Although Northville lost to White Lake Lakeland on Saturday, downing Division 1 No. 3 Bloomfield Hills and also Division 2 No. 3 North Branch at the Motor City Power Series showed what the Mustangs (4-2-0) can do.
5. Battle Creek Lakeview d. Plainwell (25-23, 26-24) Lakeview (14-3-4) finished 3-0-3 at its invitational, with sweeps of Portage Northern and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep its other wins.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Bloomfield Hills Marian (23-1-0) Although No. 2 Marian did absorb its first loss of the season last week in three sets against No. 3 Bloomfield Hills, it also has a win over Bloomfield Hills this season and its opponents have won 62 percent of their matches this fall – making the entirety of Marian’s work even more impressive. The Mustangs also have wins over No. 5 Utica Eisenhower and No. 10 Brighton with their first meeting with No. 4 Farmington Hills Mercy set for Wednesday.
Grand Haven (21-3-0) The No. 6 Buccaneers opened this season with a loss to Brighton and have fallen only twice more, to top-ranked Rockford and No. 8 Forest Hills Northern. They also have a win over Forest Hills Northern and this weekend went 6-0 at their Grand Haven Invitational, defeating honorable mention Zeeland East in the championship match after losing the first set. The Bucs also have victories over honorable mention South Lyon East, Grand Rapids Christian and Division 2 No. 6 Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
DIVISION 2
Imlay City (17-4-0) The No. 5-ranked Spartans are coming off a 3-1 Motor City Power Series weekend, with wins over Division 1 Saline and Lake Orion and Division 2 Goodrich and the loss in three sets to South Lyon East. Their only other losses were to Brighton, Utica Eisenhower and Division 3 top-ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, and they’ve also defeated Division 2 No. 7 Frankenmuth as they’ve powered up their schedule again this fall.
Tecumseh (19-1-0) A two-set loss to Division 3 No. 2 Roscommon is all that’s stood between the reigning Division 2 runner-up and perfection this season, with wins over honorable mention Parma Western and Division 3 No. 4 Kingsley among factors in Tecumseh’s No. 9 ranking this week. The Southeastern Conference power is coming off of a 6-0 run at the Mason invitational during which it didn’t lose a set.
DIVISION 3
Kingsley (21-4-0) After last season’s run to the Division 2 Regional Finals, Kingsley is ranked No. 4 in Division 3 and powering through its schedule with its only losses twice to Roscommon (see below), once to Tecumseh (see above) and to Flat Rock. The Stags finished 5-0 at their invitational over the weekend, highlighted by a two-set win over No. 9 McBain that included a 31-29 opener. Kingsley also has a win over Essexville Garber, which ended its season a year ago, an earlier three-set win over McBain and two-set victories over Division 3 honorable mention Manton and Division 4 No. 9 Onekama.
Roscommon (23-1-0) The Bucks have gone from losing their District opener in 2022 to reaching the Regional Finals the following season and Quarterfinals last fall, and they’re on the move again. Roscommon’s only loss this fall came in three sets to No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis on Sept. 4, and they have the wins over Kingsley noted above plus two more over McBain and Tecumseh. The Bucks won all five of their matches at Saturday’s Grayling Invitational comfortably.
DIVISION 4
Crystal Falls Forest Park (14-1-0) After reaching the Division 4 Semifinals in 2022 and 2023, Forest Park was stopped by Hancock in a Regional Final last season. The Trojans avenged that loss Saturday with a 25-17, 25-17 win over the Bulldogs in the championship match of The Rock Invitational at Gladstone. Only Division 3 No. 10 Saginaw Valley Lutheran has put up even 20 points against Forest Park this fall – once in the Trojans’ two-set win at the season opening Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart Invitational, and then one more time when Forest Park fell to Valley Lutheran in that tournament’s semifinals.
Suttons Bay (11-0-0) After finishing 17-13 a year ago, Suttons Bay has almost equaled that win total over this season’s first month. The Norsemen won the McBain Northern Michigan Christian Invitational to start this fall and most recently have four-set wins over Buckley and Frankfort, defeating the latter Monday after losing the first set. Onekama next week and Traverse City St. Francis next month will be among biggest tests as Suttons Bay continued to build on its fast start.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Wednesday – Farmington Hills Mercy (5-1-1) at Bloomfield Hills Marian (23-1-0) – These rivals met three times last season, with Mercy sweeping all three matches.
Thursday – Calumet (4-3) at Hancock (12-2-2) – The Copper Kings swept both matches between these Western Peninsula Athletic Conference rivals last season.
Saturday – Cristi Curtis Memorial Invitation at Byron Center – The Division 1 honorable mention Bulldogs (14-3) will welcome a solid field that includes Division 2 honorable mention Edwardsburg (12-6), Fruitport (11-4-1), Mattawan (8-8) and Grand Rapids West Catholic.
Saturday – Battle by the Bay at Essexville Garber – The Dukes (12-6-2) will host Clare, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (11-3-3) and Beal City (14-2).
Monday – Flat Rock (16-4) at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (12-1-1) – The Rams haven’t gotten a lot of attention during their successful start, but could earn it with another impressive showing.
PHOTO A Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart setter passes to a teammate during the Irish's match against Carson City-Crystal earlier this month. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Block Party: 2025 Girls Volleyball Week 10 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 29, 2025
League championships have been all but decided, Districts are assigned and brackets drawn, and we’re only a few days from the start of this season’s MHSAA Girls Volleyball Tournament.
That means we’ll be coming back shortly, as our “Block Party” schedule moves up the next edition to Monday so we can preview some of the most intriguing District brackets across the state and all four divisions.
Until then, below are a few more regular-season observations as teams continued with their final tune-ups:
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Rockford d. Farmington Hills Mercy (24-18, 23-25, 15-6) The East vs. West Challenge at Lowell was another opportunity for the Division 1 top-ranked Rams (40-1-1) to show their superiority among the state’s elite – which they did, not only defeating then-No. 2 Mercy (18-4-2) but also new No. 2 Bloomfield Hills and No. 7 Utica Eisenhower among others.
2. South Lyon East d. Farmington Hills Mercy (25-19, 18-25, 25-13) Outside of Rockford, there may be no team hotter than Division 1 No. 5 South Lyon East (37-7-1), which has won 11 straight and followed this with a sweep through the Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
3. Bloomfield Hills Marian d. Detroit Country Day (25-16, 25-16) The Division 1 No. 4 Mustangs (43-5-0) have won 20 of their last 23 matches, and went 3-0 at the Country Day quad Monday including this sweep of the Division 2 top-ranked Yellowjackets (16-8-0).
4. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern d. Tecumseh (25-21, 25-21) The Division 1 No. 6 Huskies (33-8-1) handed just the second defeat this season to Division 2 No. 6 Tecumseh (51-2-0).
5. Plymouth Christian Academy d. Ubly (25-20, 25-21) A 5-0 run through the Mt. Morris Tournament by Division 3 No. 2 PCA (37-8-1) including this win over the Division 4 No. 3 Bearcats (25-10-4), plus sweeps of Charlevoix and much larger Holt, Essexville Garber and Cadillac.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
East Grand Rapids (29-10-0) The Pioneers are among honorable mentions in Division 1 again this week, and despite a pair of losses to Division 2 No. 3 Grand Rapids Christian over the last eight days bounced back to defeat No. 4 Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Division 4 No. 2 Fowler heading into these final few days of the regular season. EGR already has bested last year’s record of 26-16-5 and will enter its District next week as the second seed to Forest Hills Northern. Eight of the team’s losses have come against top-10 teams in Divisions 1 and 2.
Zeeland East (29-4-0) Although the Chix did lose out on a league title Monday falling in five sets to Division 2 No. 5 Holland Christian, that was the team’s first defeat since facing Holland Christian on Sept. 23 – and the only other losses this season came to Division 1 No. 10 Grand Haven. Zeeland East also is among honorable mentions this week and seeded second in a District behind another honorable mention in Byron Center. The Chix do have an early-season win over Holland Christian and have defeated Division 2 honorable mention Marshall and Division 3 No. 6 Kalamazoo Christian among others.
DIVISION 2
Detroit Country Day (16-8-0) The reigning Division 2 champion has been ranked No. 1 this season for all but two weeks, and moved back into the top spot this week after a four-set win over Bloomfield Hills on Oct. 21 – which avenged a loss from the season-opening quad Aug. 26. All eight losses have come against Division 1 opponents, with six to teams ranked or receiving honorable mention currently. Country Day is seeded first in its District, which empties into a Regional that could include No. 2 North Branch or No. 7 Imlay City.
Holland Christian (23-8-0) As noted above, the Maroons have clinched a share of a league championship, in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Black and with Spring Lake to finish the schedule. The closing run to secure the title came after a four-match losing streak that included three defeats to ranked Division 1 teams at the Jenison Invitational, and seven of the team’s losses total have come to ranked or honorable mention opponents. The Zeeland East win noted above also gave Holland Christian one more this season than last, and the Maroons will head into District play a top seed.
DIVISION 3
Byron (28-3-1) The Eagles have won nine straight matches including all four Saturday at the Marine City Cardinal Mooney Invitational, and they already have five more victories than last season – when Byron reached the Regional Finals. They’ve played several matches against Division 1 and 2 opponents this fall, with two of their defeats coming from teams in those divisions, and they also have notable victories over Alma and New Boston Huron among larger-enrollment foes. Byron also will be a top seed in its District.
Morley Stanwood (27-12-0) With eight wins over its last 10 matches, Morley Stanwood has joined the list of honorable mention teams in Division 3 the last two weeks. The schedule has included showdowns with several ranked opponents, with losses to No. 1 Roscommon, No. 2 Plymouth Christian Academy, No. 3 Kingsley and twice to No. 10 Beal City. That schedule has paid off as Morley Stanwood will enter its District as a top seed but with Central State Activities Association rival Kent City the second seed and after Kent City won two of three meetings this fall including in Saturday’s league tournament.
DIVISION 4
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (23-8-6) The 2022 Division 4 champion also made the Quarterfinals in 2023 and the Semifinals a year ago, and has prepped for another potential extended run facing a slate of larger schools and several that also are ranked. Sacred Heart is No. 4 in Division 4, and half of its losses this season are to Division 3 No. 10 Beal City, with the rest to Division 1 honorable mention Traverse City Central and three other Division 1 or two schools. Meanwhile, the Irish also have wins over Division 4 No. 2 Fowler and honorable mention Grand Rapids Sacred Heart.
Wakefield-Marenisco (19-7-0) The Cardinals opened this season with a 3-4 showing at the Copper Mountain Conference tournament, but have since avenged two of those losses and another early-season defeat in downing Ewen-Trout Creek last week. W-M has won eight straight matches since falling to No. 5 Crystal Falls Forest Park at the Trojans’ invitational on Sept. 20, and three losses this season have come against Lake Linden-Hubbell (23-5-0). The Cardinals are seeded second in their District to Forest Park and Thursday against Ironwood can equal their 20 victories of a year ago.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Thursday – ABCD quad at Traverse City Central – This annual event will see the Division 1 honorable mention Trojans (26-7-0) host Division 3 No. 3 Kingsley (47-4-1) and No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis (24-14-0), and Division 4 Leland (12-25-1).
Thursday – Essexville Garber quad – The Dukes (38-11-3) will welcome Midland Dow (19-12-5), Yale (23-21-1) and Saginaw Valley Lutheran (43-10-3).
Thursday – Buckley quad – The Bears (27-5-1) will host an impressive Division 4 crew of No. 10 Onekama (30-8-3), Bellaire (19-7-4) and Traverse City Christian (24-12-2).
Saturday – Temperance Bedford Spooktacular – The field for this year’s regular-season finale includes Division 4 No. 7 Adrian Lenawee Christian, Division 2 No. 10 Flat Rock and Division 3 No. 4 Hanover Horton among others.
Saturday – Grand Blanc Tournament – The Bobcats will close the regular season with Division 2 No. 2 North Branch and Division 1 Oxford among those in the field.
PHOTOS (Top) Saginaw Valley Lutheran’s Grace Parker (7) elevates to get to the ball as Birch Run’s Teagan Abraham (2) sets up to block Tuesday. (Middle) Saginaw Swan Valley’s Hadley Wagner connects on a kill attempt while Clio’s Alaina Gliniecki (3) and Kelcy Sperling (14) get ready at the net, also Tuesday at Birch Run. (Photos by Terry Lyons.)