Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball District Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 2, 2026
Girls Volleyball District Tournaments begin tonight with 176 matches across the state, and this week will conclude with 128 champions advancing to Regional play as we take a first giant step toward eventually ending up at Finals weekend Nov. 19-21 at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena.
Below is a look at a few final regular-season results of note and glances at three Districts in each division that could be especially notable as postseason progresses. Links to interactive brackets for all four divisions plus information on purchasing tickets are available on the Girls Volleyball page, and a list version of tonight’s slate is posted on the Scores page – with green TV icons linked to broadcasts on the NFHS Network.
Records, results and schedules below are those posted for teams on MHSAA.com, and rankings 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. Marshall d. Edwardsburg (28-26, 25-15) Division 2 honorable mention Marshall (29-13-1) finished 2-1 at its quad, but this win was most significant as the No. 7 Eddies (27-6) also are highly regarded in that division.
2. Cass City d. Traverse City St. Francis (27-25, 18-25, 25-16) Although Division 3 No. 10 Cass City (27-8-5) fell to host Kingsley at the Stags quad, this win over the No. 5 Gladiators (27-17-2) is significant heading into the Division 3 postseason.
3. Flat Rock d. South Lyon (13-25, 27-25, 25-20) The Division 2 honorable mention Rams (26-9-1) came back after losing the first set to pick up some momentum for the postseason with this win over the Division 1 honorable mention Lions (27-17-2).
4. Edwardsburg d. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (35-33, 27-25) The No. 7 Eddies (27-6) had to go the extra mile in both sets to get past the Division 1 honorable mention Eaglets (16-15-3).
5. Portage Northern d. Battle Creek St. Philip (3-0, scores N/A) The Huskies (24-11-4) won both of their matches at the Coldwater mini, sweeping the Division 4 No. 4 Tigers (29-13-4) and Mendon.
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold, and top two seeds at each are noted.
DIVISION 1
Greenville
#1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (34-13-1), #2 Lowell (29-17), Rockford (16-21), Greenville (26-7-1), Grand Rapids Northview (10-19), Cedar Springs (5-26-2).
Forest Hills Northern entered last week ranked No. 7 and Lowell No. 9, and if they meet in Saturday’s District Final it will be their first matchup of the fall – although both have played most of the rest of the best in Division 1 this season. To reach Saturday, FHN will face the winner of Cedar Springs and Greenville, while Lowell will take on the winner of Northview and Rockford. The Rams could present an intriguing challenge – all but three of their losses came to ranked or honorable mention teams in Divisions 1 and 2.
Mount Pleasant
#1 Midland Dow (40-8-5), #2 Traverse City Central (30-5-1), Mount Pleasant (31-15-2), Cadillac (31-12-1), Traverse City West (18-15).
None of these teams were ranked heading into the final week of the regular season, but all finished with winning records and Dow has several wins over teams ranked in Divisions 2 and 3. That said, a notable result to recall was Dow’s five-set win over Mount Pleasant on Sept. 17 that came down to 16-14 in the decider. They would see each other in a Wednesday District Semifinal, while Big North Conference rivals Central and Cadillac are lined up on the other side of the bracket that day and Central entering with a regular-season sweep of that series. If seeds play out and they meet again, Dow and Central played to a draw at Mount Pleasant’s invitational Sept. 19.
Romeo
#1 Utica Eisenhower (39-4), #2 Port Huron Northern (26-5), Romeo (15-11-1), Port Huron (28-3), New Baltimore Anchor Bay (20-20-1).
The No. 5-ranked Eagles are 3-1 this season against No. 10 Romeo and would see the Bulldogs in a Wednesday District Semifinal, and Romeo might be eager having won their most recent matchup Oct. 17. But Romeo also can’t look past Port Huron tonight; the Red Hawks have won 11 straight matches with a three-set sweep of Port Huron Northern in that mix. Notable on the other side of the bracket, one of Northern’s few other losses came to Anchor Bay early this fall. Northern won the rematch Oct. 24, and they face off Wednesday.
DIVISION 2
Hopkins
#1 Holland Christian (20-10-1), #2 Grand Rapids South Christian (26-7), Hamilton (22-9), Hudsonville Unity Christian (15-20-1), Hopkins (23-16-2), Wayland (12-19-2).
Holland Christian entered the final week of the regular season an honorable mention in Division 2, and South Christian was ranked No. 9 – and the Sailors won their lone meeting 2-1 on Sept. 1. To earn a rematch, Holland Christian will have to face a league rival, either Hamilton or Unity Christian, and is 2-0 against both. Hopkins is an intriguing contender on South’s side of the bracket; the Vikings have won 12 of their last 14 matches but did fall to tonight’s opponent Wayland in their only meeting this fall.
Parma Western
#1 Parma Western (47-1), #2 Marshall (29-13-1), Three Rivers (23-13-6), Vicksburg (22-17), Battle Creek Pennfield (26-13-1).
The Interstate 8 Athletic Conference was one of the state’s deeper leagues this season, and No. 3 Western, honorable mention Marshall and Pennfield were among reasons why. Western’s only loss came 2-1 to Portage Central on Oct. 24, but it’s also important to note that the Panthers’ lone match against Marshall, on Sept. 23, went five sets. Marshall has wins over Pennfield and Vicksburg and sees the former Wednesday, and Vicksburg opens tonight against Wolverine Conference foe Three Rivers having won their regular-season match in four sets.
Macomb Lutheran North
#1 Macomb Lutheran North (37-3), #2 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (28-17-6), Armada (10-27-1), Madison Heights Lamphere (18-9-1).
No. 6-ranked Lutheran North has enjoyed a fantastic campaign this fall, with its few losses to Division 1 Port Huron Northern and Division 2 No. 2 Detroit Country Day and No. 5 North Branch. The Mustangs have defeated this week’s first opponent Armada twice but haven’t seen the other two contenders in this bracket. Notre Dame Prep and Lamphere also will be facing each other for the first time, NDP on an 11-2-1 run and Lamphere 10-2-1 over its last 13 matches.
DIVISION 3
Clinton
#1 Grass Lake (27-5-3), Clinton (37-9-1), Manchester (13-22-4), Whitmore Lake (8-13), Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (4-16).
Grass Lake is ranked No. 6 and Clinton is No. 7 in Division 3, and they faced off just once, Oct. 22, with Clinton winning the first set but Grass Lake winning the next two 25-22 and then 31-29. Both were eliminated last season by Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, Clinton in SMCC’s District and Grass Lake in a Regional matchup, and the winner this week could very well be earning the opportunity to potentially see SMCC again in next week’s Regional at Ottawa Lake Whiteford.
Mancelona
#1 Traverse City St. Francis (27-17-2), #2 Elk Rapids (17-10-3), Johannesburg-Lewiston (30-5-9), Maple City Glen Lake (18-13-2), Mancelona (15-15-1), Grand Traverse Academy (1-16).
St. Francis is the only ranked contender in this bracket at No. 5, but there are plenty of teams to push the Gladiators as they seek a fourth-straight District title. Elk Rapids won their Sept. 17 match in five sets before St. Francis won the rematch in a sweep two weeks later. The Elks will play for another opportunity but sit on the same side of this bracket with Glen Lake and Johannesburg-Lewiston; those two face off tonight, and Elk Rapids’ lone match against either was a five-set win over Glen Lake just last week.
McBain
#1 Manton (27-12-1), #2 McBain (23-16-2), Lake City (21-19-3), LeRoy Pine River (19-20-1), Evart (4-24).
Manton and McBain are both honorable mentions in the most recent Division 3 coaches poll, and all five of these teams play in a Highland Conference that also includes top-ranked Roscommon and another honorable mention in Beal City. McBain won the lone meeting this season with Manton, just last Tuesday, in four sets after Manton won the first. Those two both went undefeated against the other three teams in this bracket, but with familiarity abounding it will be intriguing to see if one of those three can shake things up.
DIVISION 4
Baraga
#1 Hancock (28-2-1), #2 Baraga (26-1), Lake Linden-Hubbell (16-6), Dollar Bay (13-12-1), Calumet Copper Island Academy (14-19-4), L’Anse (9-15-2), Chassell (9-16-4).
Hancock is No. 10 and Baraga an honorable mention in the latest coaches poll, with Hancock dealing the Vikings their lone defeat Oct. 8, 3-0. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ only losses this season were to Division 2 Kingsford, both during an Oct. 22 tournament hosted by the Flivvers – and Hancock is a combined 5-0 against the rest of this field while Baraga is 14-0 against those five teams – but has battled through some tough sets against Lake Linden-Hubbell in multiple matches.
Central Lake
#1 Bellaire (33-7-2), No. 2 Suttons Bay (18-12-2), Central Lake (16-15-4), Leland (7-23-1), Lake Leelanau St. Mary (2-20).
Bellaire opened this season 13-1-1, and aside from an 0-3 night at the Buckley quad on Oct. 22 hasn’t slowed down, coming back to cap the regular season with a 7-1-1 string. The Eagles are unranked and haven’t seen Suttons Bay, which earned honorable mention in the most recent coaches poll and started this season 9-0 but has endured a difficult stretch of late but while facing multiple Division 3 teams and falling to Division 4 No. 3 Traverse City Christian twice last week. Central Lake has lost twice to Bellaire but took a set the second time and will have to defeat Suttons Bay to earn another opportunity.
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian
#1 Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (21-6-3), #2 Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (28-4-1), Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (22-8-1), Martin (8-16), Byron Center Zion Christian (14-18-2), Grand Rapids Wellspring Prep (2-21).
Hackett and Sacred Heart are both honorable mentions in the latest rankings and would meet for the first time if both reach Saturday’s District Final. Hackett is 9-1 since the start of October, with five losses this season to Division 2 teams and the sixth to a Division 3 opponent. Sacred Heart also has losses to Division 2 and 3 opponents, but did take an early defeat against Tri-unity Christian and another against Martin – although both of those during the first month of the season. Sacred Heart and Tri-unity could meet again in a Thursday District Semifinal.
PHOTO Marquette’s Grace Filizetti (13) winds up for a kill attempt during a sweep last week of Calumet Copper Island Academy. (Photo by Randy Ritari Photo.)
#TBT: Brimley Makes Name as UP Power
October 26, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Girls Volleyball Districts begin Monday, providing another generation the opportunity to become "Legends of the Games."
The MHSAA during the late 1990s and early 2000s honored past champions at the Finals as exactly that – and for today's #TBT we'll recall our 2000 volleyball honoree, Brimley, which was recognized the season the MHSAA's Finals became unified after formerly having separate tournaments for each peninsula.
Below is the piece that ran in the souvenir program celebrating the Bays' dynasty.
It was a legitimate question – "Where's Brimley?"
It had been a long time since the little town located off Whitefish Bay in the Upper Peninsula had made some noise on the statewide level with its school's sports success – not since back-to-back Class D MHSAA Boys Basketball crowns in 1950 and 1951.
It was 1978, and the growth of girls sports saw the birth of a volleyball team at Brimley. Charles Compo took on the coaching reins with very little experience in the sport, but with an eagerness to learn and to teach.
It was the start of something big.
Just two years later, the first MHSAA Upper Peninsula Girls Volleyball Tournament took place, won, somewhat predictably, by a bigger school. Class C St. Ignace took the measure of Bessemer in that first tournament, but what happened next gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "U.P. Power."
Over the next decade, Brimley established itself as the first volleyball dynasty in the Upper Peninsula, and in fact, raised its game to where it was occasionally the top-ranked team statewide in Class D in the coaches polls.
With open-class U.P. championships in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and the first U.P. Class D title in 1991, Brimley earned its spot as one of the Legends of the Games.
But to earn that spot in U.P. and volleyball lore, the Bays had to travel – and oh, did they travel.
"We did a lot of traveling," Compo said. "That's where the competition was. It helped our program get statewide recognition."
Located just off I-75, the Bays went southbound weekend after weekend to face Lower Peninsula competition, which had been playing the game longer. It didn't take long for Brimley to become established as a force to be reckoned with.
"Being from the U.P., we traveled many, many hours on a bus. On those long trips, our teams became very close and developed lasting bonds," said Laura Compo, a setter on the team from 1985 to 1988. "When we arrived at some tournaments, many people wondered where Brimley was; they had never heard of us. Some would even laugh out loud about playing a Class D team from the U.P. More often than not, they wouldn't forget us at the end of a match and tournament. It was very rewarding to make our mark on Michigan volleyball."
While the road to success included long trips, it was an opponent of a relatively short drive away that was Brimley's largest hurdle in its rise to the top. Knocking off the first tournament champion, St. Ignace, was not an easy task.
"The St. Ignace team had beaten us every other time we had met over the previous three seasons and had our number," said Laura Newland, a setter on Compo's first three teams. "They looked like giants, they acted cocky and had a confidence about them that made our team feel like we didn't belong in the same gymnasium with them."
The breakthrough match was in the regional tournament that year, where the Bays finally defeated the Saints in three games to advance to the final level of the tournament.
"That game, the excitement of the fans, the near perfect game both sides played will always be the championship for me – it was one of the greatest experiences of my life," Newland said.
"The first time we defeated St. Ignace, everyone in the stands were on their feet. Some of the dads were crying," said Robin Burton, a setter on the team from 1980 to 1982. "It was the turning point for the team.”
Brimley took the U.P. title a week later by defeating Watersmeet. A team made up of three seniors, four sophomores and four juniors was poised for more success. "We should be better next year, we really should," said Compo after the first title.
Four more titles ensued, with back-to-back wins over Ironwood in 1982 and 1983 and Bessemer in 1984 and 1985. Sault Ste. Marie broke the first streak in 1986 by representing the Eastern U.P. in the finals and claiming the championship, but Brimley's last two Open Class titles came in 1987 and 1988. Two years later, Compo retired from coaching after compiling a 12-year record of 408-74. The next year, the U.P. tournament was broken into classes, and Brimley, directed by Coach Walter Hyvarinen, won the first Class D title.
The Brimley players remember Coach Compo.
"My fondest memory of the team is of Coach Compo," said Burton. "He was a motivator and made working hard fun. He gave much of his time to volleyball – not just practices and games – but in-between – finding new ways to improve our skills and getting us into tournaments all over the state. We wouldn't have been nearly as successful without his extra efforts."
"I remember all the hard work we put into practices and games. We had so much fun, we felt like one big family," said Sherri Carrick, an outside hitter from 1984-87. "Mr. Compo was such a great coach and person that only he could push me to be the player that I was."
Legends in high school sports are about teams that build up their communities, and for the decade of the 1980's, it happened in Brimley. It provided lifetime memories for a team that still makes those who took part feel every bit as proud today as they did while in the school's uniform.
"I remember that pride the most," said Barb Cameron, a middle hitter on the 1985-88 teams. "That, and the shared desire to win against all odds. People would say, 'Where's Brimley?' And we showed them!"