Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball Week 4 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 16, 2026
Let the Party begin again.
Welcome back to Block Party, our weekly reports following our MHSAA-member teams as they navigate the regular season – with a hoped-for final destination of Finals weekend at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena.
Every week from here out we’ll look at matches from the previous week that caught our eye, a pair of teams in every playoff division making moves and upcoming matches or tournaments of particular interest.
Records below are those reported and tracked on this website, and rankings referred to below 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. Utica Eisenhower d. South Lyon East (25-23, 22-25, 15-11) This win over Division 1 then-ranked No. 6 East was perhaps the most notable of No. 7 (now No. 6) Eisenhower’s 6-0 day to win its Program Cup, which also included victories over Dexter, Troy, South Lyon, Macomb Dakota and honorable mention Lowell.
2. Macomb Lutheran North d. North Branch (22-25, 26-28, 25-23, 25-19, 15-12) Lutheran North jumped from honorable mention to No. 8 in Division 2 this week, with this comeback win over the previously-No. 5 Broncos sure to have made an impact.
3. Farmington Hills Mercy d. Bloomfield Hills Marian (25-21, 27-25, 25-21) This was the second time in two weeks the top-ranked Marlins faced No. 2 Marian, and the second time they won although this time in a sweep.
4. Elk Rapids d. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (27-25, 25-18) The Division 3 No. 5 Elks finished 3-0 at their invitational, with this sweep of the Division 4 No. 5 Irish likely a reason they moved up a spot in their ranking.
5. Ishpeming d. Negaunee (25-16, 19-25, 25-18, 8-25, 15-12) These rivals went to five sets for the second-straight season, but this time the Hematites bounced back from a rough fourth game to finish the victory.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Battle Creek Lakeview (14-3-2) Lakeview is an honorable mention in Division 1 this week after finishing 4-0-1 at its invitational, which included victories over Big Rapids, DeWitt, Division 4 top-ranked Battle Creek St. Philip and Battle Creek Harper Creek and a split with Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep. The Spartans are perfect in September and building on a 9-0-1 streak since their most recent defeat, which came in three sets to Division 2 No. 7 Marshall on Aug. 29.
Byron Center (17-3-0) A perfect run at Caledonia’s Macayla Kohn Memorial Invitational on Saturday included victories over Division 1 honorable mention Mattawan, Cadillac, Portage Central, the Fighting Scots and Division 2 No. 6 Edwardsburg, with only one set lost on the day. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 4 in Division 1, with wins over No. 10 Lowell and Division 2 No. 2 Grand Rapids South Christian among additional headliners during the early going.
DIVISION 2
Grand Rapids Christian (15-0-0) The Eagles are ranked No. 1 in Division 2 coming off last season’s run to the Semifinals, and pairs of wins over Utica Eisenhower, Lowell and singles over Division 1 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian and Division 2 No. 2 Grand Rapids South Christian are more than enough to back that up. The Eagles have lost only six sets all season while also facing Division 1 No. 8 Grand Haven and multiple honorable mention earners.
Parma Western (13-0-0) The Panthers have lost only two sets to open this season and Thursday swept Tecumseh, avenging a pair of losses from last fall including its season-ender in the Regional Final. Western also defeated Division 3 No. 6 Clinton and Ida at Tecumseh and sits No. 5 in Division 2 with a perfect run at the Chelsea Invitational last month and a victory over Division 4 No. 2 Adrian Lenawee Christian among highlights.
DIVISION 3
Clinton (14-5-1) The Redwolves have strung together a pair of outstanding seasons and tested themselves out of the gate this fall defeating Division 1 Midland Dow, Division 2 Petoskey and Division 3 No. 3 Roscommon but also falling to Division 2 No. 4 Kingsley and honorable mention Tecumseh, and the next weekend to Division 2 No. 7 Marshall with a tie against Battle Creek Lakeview. They’re keeping up that pace – falling to Tecumseh and Parma Western last week – and that level of competition no doubt will pay off as this season continues.
Roscommon (14-5-2) Coming off last year’s 45-3 run, stopped only by eventual champion Kingsley in the Regional Finals, Roscommon has loaded up the schedule again with four of these losses coming opening week at their own round robin where they defeated Petoskey but lost to Tecumseh, Midland Dow, Kingsley and Clinton. The Bucks are 13-1-2 since with the ties to Division 1 and 2 teams and the other loss also to Dow.
DIVISION 4
Bellaire (9-0-1) The Eagles have won three straight District titles and are nearly perfect through the first month of the regular season, with only a tie against Charlevoix during opening weekend – and Bellaire also defeated Charlevoix that weekend at the Pellston Tournament. The Eagles have lost only two sets all season, the other to Mancelona before coming back to win in three during the Battle of M-88.
Hancock (12-2-1) A 2-1 win over No. 4 Crystal Falls Forest Park on Saturday at The Rock at Gladstone certainly was the highlight of a 4-0-1 day that saw the tie come against the Division 2 host Braves. Forest Park and Hancock have met in Regionals both of the last two seasons, so keep in mind that potential rematch as the season progresses. Both Hancock losses came during opening weekend at the Kingsford Invite against the Division 2 Flivvers.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Thursday – Traverse City St. Francis (14-6) at Elk Rapids (9-1-2) – This will be the first of two matches over the next two weeks between the Division 3 No. 5 Elks and honorable mention Gladiators, who also saw each other in last season’s District Final, won by St. Francis.
Saturday – Battle Creek All-City Tournament at Lakeview – Battle Creek Pennfield (7-3-1), St. Philip (11-4-2), Central (0-5), Harper Creek (12-7-1) and the Spartans (14-3-2) will compete in this annual event, with Lakeview the reigning champion.
Saturday – Lake Odessa Lakewood Tournament – A notable field includes Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian (16-0) plus East Grand Rapids (5-3), Big Rapids (11-3-3), Caledonia (9-7), Delton Kellogg (10-1), Petoskey (3-10) and Cedar Springs (2-10-2).
Saturday – Byron Center Invitational – The Bulldogs welcome an impressive group including Grand Rapids West Catholic (5-1-2), Mattawan (8-10), Edwardsburg (9-3), Fruitport (12-2-2), East Kentwood (1-14), Portage Central (14-4), Kalamazoo Central (11-8-2) and Wayland (4-11-2).
Saturday – Mount Pleasant Oiler Invitational – The Oilers (10-5) will welcome Freeland (8-7-2), Elk Rapids, Roscommon and Grand Ledge (10-2).
PHOTOS (Top) Bloomfield Hills Marian puts up a block during its match against Farmington Hills Mercy last week. (Middle) Bath’s Kyria Pairolero (10) elevates to get her hand on a ball against Portland St. Patrick. (Marian/Mercy photo by KMS Photography. Bath/St. Patrick photo by John Johnson.)
Performance: Fenton's Chloe Idoni
November 17, 2016
Chloe Idoni
Fenton sophomore – Volleyball
Despite entering the postseason with only five losses, Fenton was unranked in the final Class A poll – but the Tigers have made their presence felt over the last three weeks, and especially by defeating No. 10 Utica Eisenhower and then No. 2 Clarkston in last week’s Regional. Leading the way was 5-foot-11 outside hitter Idoni, who tallied 24 kills and 16 digs against Eisenhower and 32 kills against the Wolves to earn the Michigan National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
Fenton has since advanced to its first MHSAA Semifinal since 1992 as Idoni had 12 kills and 15 digs in Tuesday’s five-set Quarterfinal win over Midland that improved the Tigers to 46-5-3 this fall. She started at middle hitter as a freshman and this season until sliding outside before Districts began. That move has opened up more opportunities for her to make an impact; she's second on her team with 445 kills while leading with a .390 hitting percentage. She also leads with 108 blocks, 64 aces and is among top defenders on the team with 255 digs.
Idoni was a standout on the varsity basketball team that finished 18-7 and won a District title last winter, earning all-area honorable mention from the Flint Journal. She also played junior varsity soccer as a freshman, but is considering participating in track & field next spring; she was a high jumper in middle school and might do that event and throws. In addition, Idoni is a strong student – she carries a 3.9 grade-point average – and already is considering studying for a career in sports medicine when high school is done.
Coach Jerry Eisinger said: “As a freshman, it was pretty obvious that she is a very special talent. Last year and for much of this year, Chloe was a middle hitter for our team. And she was very dominant at that position, with powerful kills and strong blocking. But being in the middle, we were limited as to how much we could get her the ball. Later in this season we moved Chloe to outside hitter, where we could get her the ball more regularly, and since that time she has really become a force. It goes beyond the powerful kills. She has excellent court presence and knows when to tip and when to hit. Her defensive skills are also impressive as she has become one of our better passers and is a very good six-position player. Lastly, her attitude is a big reason for her success. Looking at her, you would never know if she is struggling or dominating, except for her “kill celebration.” Her competitive attitude and court maturity goes way beyond her age.”
Performance Point: “I knew our team could do it if we played together, played with heart, and we played together and accomplished our goal,” Idoni said. “I love being the underdog, not expected to win, because you don’t have all this pressure. You go out and give it your all, and as long as you give it your all you don’t have anything to look down on yourselves. … We knew (Clarkston) had an amazing team. They were ranked number 2 and we weren’t even ranked. We just have to play it play-by-play, do our thing and never give up. After the first (set), it just filled our confidence up. If we beat them once, there was no reason we couldn’t beat them again.”
Making the move: “I was a middle and got moved outside; I like it better. It gives me more opportunities, and I got to play all around recently too. I was an outside hitter for a couple of years until I moved to middle, so I had experience with it. I knew I’d be OK with it. … (And) I’ve been playing with Kiley (Aldred) my setter a really long time in travel volleyball, so we’ve had chemistry for a long time.”
Celebrate: “I have a lot of energy on the court, so when I get a kill I like to celebrate a lot, give my team more energy because it helps on the next play. Our cheer celebration, we don’t have a specific one. We just go to the middle and scream and yell.”
Whatever is in season: “(My favorite sport) really depends on the season. Right now, my favorite is volleyball in a way, but things change in basketball season. I go back and forth. In volleyball (I like that) you get to celebrate more with your team (after a point) instead of having to go right back on defense.”
Underclassmen can lead, too: “I like to try to be the best leader I can be for both teams. I help out my teams the best I can, to have more energy, get more excited and never get down on themselves. Most underclassmen might be a little intimidated, but I was never intimidated. I have lots of upperclassmen friends that I knew for a long time, and they’re all nice people, great teammates.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2016-17 school year, Second Half and the Michigan National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2016-17 honorees:
Nov. 10: Adelyn Ackley, Hart cross country – Read
Nov. 3: Casey Kirkbride, Mattawan soccer – Read
Oct. 27: Colton Yesney, Negaunee cross country – Read
Oct. 20: Varun Shanker, Midland Dow tennis – Read
Oct. 13: Anne Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer cross country – Read
Oct. 6: Shuaib Aljabaly, Coldwater cross country – Read
Sept. 29: Taylor Seaman, Brighton swimming & diving – Read
Sept. 22: Maggie Farrell, Battle Creek Lakeview cross country – Read
Sept. 15: Franki Strefling, Buchanan volleyball – Read
Sept. 8: Noah Jacobs, Corunna cross country – Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Fenton's Chloe Idoni (right) puts up a block during a match against Clio in 2015. (Middle) Idoni prepares to swing during Tuesday's Quarterfinal win over Midland. (Photos by Mark Bolen and David Troppens/Tri-City Times.)