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.)
Leland's Glass Childress Inducted into National High School Hall of Fame
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 3, 2026
Alisha Glass Childress’ excellence on the volleyball court led to national championships at the college level, an Olympic medal and both playing and currently a coaching career in the professional ranks.
But even after achieving all of that greatness over the last two decades following her career at Leland High School, her experiences starring for the Comets in multiple sports continue to carry significant weight.
On June 29 in Salt Lake City, Childress became Michigan’s 11th inductee into the National High School Hall of Fame by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The video above was shown as an introduction before Childress was awarded her Hall of Fame plaque and medal during the induction ceremony.
She graduated from Leland in 2006 with national high school career records of 3,584 kills, 680 blocks and 937 aces, and 296 aces for one season as a junior. Her aces records still stand, her career kills record stood until broken in 2024 by Shelby’s Navea Gauthier, and she remains third on the career blocks list. Glass continues to hold MHSAA records for single-season and career aces and also for her 48 kills in Leland’s 2005-06 Class D Final win over Battle Creek St. Philip. Childress also led Leland to a Class D runner-up finish in 2004-05 and the Semifinals in 2003-04. (All three tournament runs took place while girls volleyball was still played during the winter season before moving to the fall to begin the 2007-08 school year).
Childress earned the Miss Volleyball Award and Gatorade Player of the Year Award for Michigan as a senior, and her name is listed 19 times throughout the MHSAA girls volleyball record book. She also made Michigan's Class D all-state first team on the basketball court as both a junior and senior, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior and 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots per game as a senior while leading her basketball team to Class D Quarterfinals both of those seasons.
After high school, she started all four seasons at national power Penn State and set the Nittany Lions to three straight NCAA championships, being named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America first team twice and second team once.
Childress continued her career professionally and internationally, playing professionally in the United States and Puerto Rico, Italy, Turkey, Poland and Brazil and being named USA Volleyball Indoor Female Athlete of the Year for both 2013 and 2014. She led the U.S. national team to bronze at 2016 Olympics and was named Best Setter of the tournament, after being selected as an alternate for the 2012 Olympic team.
Childress currently is serving as head coach of the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball after previously playing for the Pro Volleyball Federation's Vegas Thrill in 2024 and 2025 and in that league's first All-Star Match.
She previously served as a coach with Athletes Unlimited, as an assistant coach with the Stanford University women’s volleyball program from 2019-21 – including during the team’s run to the Division I national title in 2019 – and as an assistant for the gold medal-winning U.S. national team during the 2018 Pan American Cup.
Previous Michigan inductees to the National High School Hall of Fame
2024: Tyrone Wheatley, Dearborn Heights Robichaud - Watch
2022: John E. "Jack" Roberts, MHSAA - Watch
2016: Ken Beardslee, Vermontville Maple Valley - Watch
2011: Brad Van Pelt, Owosso
2007: Jim Johnson, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook
2005: Bob Wood, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett
2001: Richie Jordan, Fennville
2000: Diane Laffey, Warren Regina
1986: Lofton Greene, River Rouge
1983: Charles E. Forsythe, MHSAA
PHOTO Alisha Glass Childress stands for a photo with MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl during her NFHS Hall of Fame induction June 29. (Photo courtesy of the NFHS.)