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.)
Kubiak Comes Back, Twice, to Lead Mustangs
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
September 20, 2016
PORTAGE — Mikaela Kubiak is a fierce competitor on the volleyball court. But the Portage Central senior setter had an even harder fight off the court her first two seasons.
Kubiak, who has been instrumental in the Mustangs’ run to a 23-3 start and No. 5 ranking in Class A, spent her first two seasons rehabbing from injury.
A starter on varsity as a freshman and sophomore, Kubiak tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, not once but twice, and endured two separate stints of grueling physical therapy.
Looking back, the personable Kubiak remembers every detail.
“It was our first home match against Kalamazoo Central and all my family and friends were here watching,” said Kubiak, who came to Portage from Central as a freshman and whose father Bob Kubiak had coached Kalamazoo Central football from 1993-2003.
But her first home volleyball match wasn’t even close to what she envisioned.
“It was in warm-ups and the second ball I hit, I came down and I blew my knee,” she said.
“Not a very good start. It was our first home varsity match, and I think it was the first or second week of school.”
Her first thoughts were that she could walk it off and continue to warm up.
“Then I was like, whoa, this is way more serious than I thought,” she said. “I couldn’t get up. I kept walking, then I just sat down on the ground. It was throbbing and I was in pain.
“I was just super mad, super mad at myself that it happened. Of course, that game it would have to happen to me.”
She had knee surgery and spent nine months in recovery, including physical therapy at least three times per week.
“I wasn’t surprised she came back (after the first injury). I was surprised she got hurt again,” said Dawn Jaqua, who has coached the Mustangs for the last 18 years. “I was actually surprised she got hurt the first time because she’s such a strong kid, physically, so that was a shock.
“She is hugely determined and loves the sport. You can’t help but beat yourself up when you’re a coach and any kid gets hurt on your watch.”
After missing her first season, Kubiak was raring to go as a sophomore.
The team’s setter was Madison Jaqua, who earned all-state first-team honors that year, so Kubiak was once again a hitter.
“Mattawan was like our big rival,” Kubiak said. “We were in the middle of our third set. It was a nitty-gritty, tight match. It was point after point after point, back and forth.
“Madison set me a ball and I came down and just overran it too much and I blew it out again. I knew right away because my knee moved on me.
“I was like, ‘Oh great.’ I think I was even more mad at that. It was like a pin dropped in the room and I was so frustrated. I technically tore it twice in the same year. I actually tore it on 9-11 my freshman year and 9-9 my sophomore year.”
Once again, Kubiak missed the rest of the season. But this time she knew what to expect from the physical therapy and did a lot of work on her own to supplement the workouts.
Giving up volleyball was not an option.
“I was more comfortable going back my junior season because I was back in my original position (as a setter with Madison Jaqua graduating) and I had a huge brace on. I didn’t have a brace my sophomore year.”
Dawn Jaqua said Kubiak’s role changed as a junior.
“She was setting for us,” she said. “The biomechanics are way different. We didn’t have her play front row last year. She set from the back row. We ran a kind of modified system for that.
“Then she started playing front row a little bit for us at the end of the season. We let her block in controlled situations, and by the end of the season last year, we were running a 5-1 with her.”
The coach’s daughter, senior Devin Jaqua, who has been playing volleyball with Kubiak since seventh grade, was not surprised she returned stronger than ever.
“She’s always been a strong leader, and she’s always worked really hard,” the senior said. “She has a really big passion for the game, so I knew she’d always come back.
“She leads almost like the team mom. You can always depend on her, and she always plays her best. She always knows what to do and when to do it.”
In spite of losing two seasons of both high school and club volleyball, Kubiak earned Class A all-state honorable mention last season.
In November, she will sign to play collegiately with Division II Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Dawn Jaqua said Kubiak is the complete package.
“It’s all the components: her athleticism, her consistency, her decision making,” she said. “But at the end of the day, it’s about her will to want to win. She’s a great leader.
“She is a great problem solver. She’s demanding, but she does it in a very calming way. She’s very controlled. When things aren’t going well, she does a great job figuring out a different way to win. That’s her job.”
Devin Jaqua said this is a special year for the seniors.
“There’s five seniors, and it’s our last year,” she said. “Mikaela and Janell (Williams) are the only two so far going to play in college, so the rest of us really want to make it a memorable last year.”
Williams will sign with Western Michigan University. Jaqua will play soccer collegiately at Michigan State.
Talking from experience, Kubiak offers some advice: “For any other volleyball players out there, work hard all the time because you never know when it can be taken from you.
“Cherish every moment you have on the court with your teammates because it really does fly by.”
Other seniors on the team are Rebecca Barnes and Maddie Goodman. Juniors are Maddie Wojcik, Sara Denison, Olivia Harning, MacKenzie Zook and Jessie Zesiger. The sophomore is Ryann Jaqua and the freshman is Maizie Brown.
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Mikaela Kubiak tips the ball over the net during a recent match against Richland Gull Lake. (Middle) Kubiak and Portage Central coach Dawn Jaqua. (Below) Kubiak sets for teammate Janell Williams. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)