Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball Week 5 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 23, 2026
We’re a little more than a month into this high school girls volleyball season, and although we often know going in several teams which should emerge as contenders, we’re also in the midst of many more beginning to rise from the 700-school statewide pack.
League play is picking up, several major tournaments are behind us and many more are on the way, and this week’s report highlights not just some of the expected elite but also a handful of teams pushing into the rankings during this fall’s first half.
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. Jenison d. Farmington Hills Mercy (20-25, 25-21, 15-9) East defeated West 13-10 at the East vs. West Showdown on Saturday, but Division 1 honorable mention Jenison (17-7-1) made the day’s biggest wave by downing the top-ranked Marlins.
2. Essexville Garber d. Kingsley (26-24, 25-17) The Division 2 honorable mention Dukes (20-7-4) finished 4-1 at their invitational, also defeating No. 10 North Branch but with this win over the No. 5 Stags (26-3-1) getting the slight edge for the Garber highlight of the day.
3. Calumet d. Crystal Falls Forest Park (16-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-10) The Copper Kings (9-7) lost the first set by a significant margin before coming back to win the next three by similarly notable scores over the Division 4 No. 7 Trojans (17-3-1).
4. Battle Creek Lakeview d. Battle Creek Harper Creek (25-23, 25-27, 15-9) Division 1 honorable mention Lakeview (21-3-2) finished a 6-0 day at the Battle Creek All-City Tournament with its only match to go three sets, defeating Harper Creek (20-9-1) for a second time to clinch the title.
5. Cass City d. Millington (28-26, 25-18, 26-24) This key Big Thumb Conference White victory didn’t come easily for Division 3 No. 6 Cass City (8-4-3) as the Cardinals (13-4) pushed the Red Hawks especially far in the first and third sets.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Bloomfield Hills Marian (21-3) The Mustangs remain ranked No. 2 in Division 1 coming off a 4-0 day at the East vs. West Showdown that included wins over No. 6 Hudsonville, No. 10 Lowell, honorable mention Jenison and Salem. Their only losses have been to Grand Rapids Christian and twice to Farmington Hills Mercy, the top-ranked teams in Divisions 2 and 1, respectively.
Zeeland East (18-2) The Chix are an honorable mention in Division 1 this week for the second straight with a pair of wins over Division 2 honorable mention Holland Christian and a single over Division 3 No. 8 Hart among most recent highlights. Zeeland East finished 22-10 two years ago, improved to 31-5 last season and is on pace to match and potentially surpass that win total with its only losses this fall to Allendale and No. 8 Grand Haven.
DIVISION 2
Kingsley (26-3-1) The Stags moved back into Division 2 this season after winning the Division 3 championship a year ago and sit No. 5 in the latest coaches poll after going 4-1-1 at Garber with a pair of wins over North Branch included. Last week they celebrated Jenna Middleton becoming the 34th player in MHSAA history to reach 2,000 career kills, and she’ll surely continue to be relied on as Kingsley faces multiple Division 3 contenders over the next month.
Macomb Lutheran North (19-1) The Mustangs have appeared on the verge of taking off the last few seasons, and they’ve been almost impossible to catch this fall with only Port Huron Northern in August dealing them a defeat. Lutheran North is up to No. 8 in Division 2 and succeeded in its toughest challenges to date with a five-set win over North Branch and four-setter over honorable mention Richmond.
DIVISION 3
Manton (13-7-1) The Rangers jumped from unranked last week to No. 7 in the latest poll after a close loss to Kingsley on Saturday and wins over Beaverton, Saginaw Swan Valley, Reed City and Lake City over those seven days. Manton fell to Roscommon in five sets Tuesday, the last two sets by two points apiece and could build on last year’s 32-12-2 finish – especially with Kingsley not lined up as a potential District stopper like a year ago.
Saginaw Valley Lutheran (25-4-1) The Chargers have been ranked No. 1 in Division 3 since the season’s start coming off their third-straight Regional title and a trip to the Semifinals last fall with the same roster. They’ve faced several larger opponents already this season, with their losses to Division 1 Plymouth, Division 2 Yale and North Branch and Division 4 No. 3 Traverse City Christian, and a notable win Saturday over Division 4 No. 4 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
DIVISION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (14-3) The Cougars brought a five-year District championship streak into this season and moved back into the No. 1 spot in Division 4 this week after one week at No. 2. The schedule has been filled almost completely with larger opponents and the losses have come to Division 1 Mason, Division 2 No. 4 Parma Western and over the weekend Division 3 No. 5 Clinton, and Lenawee Christian also has a win over Mason.
St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (15-2-1) The Titans are another returning District champion and most recently went 6-0 at the Bridgman Invitational with a notable sweep of Three Oaks River Valley – which had defeated, lost to and tied Michigan Lutheran during the season’s first week. Only one other opponent, Division 2 South Haven, has taken a set off the Titans all season, doing so in dealing them their only other defeat.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Wednesday – Marshall (17-5-1) at Parma Western (20-0) – This Interstate 8 Athletic Conference battle also features the No. 7 and No. 4 teams, respectively, in Division 2 statewide.
Wednesday – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (8-6-1) at Bloomfield Hills Marian (21-3) – St. Mary’s is an honorable mention this week and has been climbing the last few seasons and would love to take the next step as it attempts to avenge an opening-weekend loss to the Mustangs.
Thursday – Onekama (13-7) at Traverse City Christian (22-3) – Christian is ranked No. 3 in Division 4 and Onekama is an honorable mention, and Christian also won their Regional Final matchup last season.
Saturday – Hudsonville Tournament – The Division 1 No. 6 Eagles (15-2) host Division 2 No. 1 Grand Rapids Christian (16-1), No. 7 Marshall (17-5-1), South Lyon (14-8-1), Battle Creek Harper Creek (20-9-1), Vicksburg (14-8), Grand Rapids Northview (3-10), Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (8-13) and Hudsonville Unity Christian (6-9-1).
Saturday – Motor City Power Series at UWM Sports Complex – Arguably the most intriguing pool this weekend includes Division 1 honorable mention Bloomfield Hills (15-5), Canton (6-13-2), Division 2 honorable mentions Flat Rock (11-2-1) and Grand Rapids Catholic Central (15-5-1), and Ionia (9-6).
PHOTOS (Top) Allendale’s Josie Brose (6) winds up for a kill attempt while facing Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at East Grand Rapids’ Rally on Reeds on Aug. 19. (Middle) DeWitt and Lansing Catholic face off during the Cougars’ Volley Turf Takeover on Aug. 20. (Allendale/FHC photo by Michigan Sports Photo. DeWitt/Lansing Catholic photo by TCP Photography.)
Flynn Continuing to Prove Unique Among State's Best, All-Time Mercy Greats
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
October 3, 2024
FARMINGTON HILLS — It’s easy to roll one’s eyes when saying the Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball program has a unique talent in senior setter Campbell Flynn – because, well, Mercy is a traditional powerhouse that ALWAYS seems to have great players.
But even for an accomplished program like Mercy, it will be nearly impossible to see another player like Flynn come through its halls anytime soon, if ever.
Yes, it’s not often that a player is a member of the under-19 and under-21 U.S. national teams, committed to national powerhouse Nebraska and was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after helping lead her to the Division 1 championship.
But several tangible and intangible attributes make her truly exceptional.
For starters, she is a 6-foot-3 setter, which isn’t common. In high school – and maybe even for many college programs – that height would definitely qualify her as an outside hitter.
“Setters are usually a little smaller,” Flynn said. “I always wanted to be a setter, even when I was little. I knew I was going to be pretty tall, but I didn’t know I’d be this tall. I thought I was going to be around 5-10. I just knew I always wanted to be a setter.”
Mercy head coach Loretta Vogel said that height is noticeable before Flynn even touches the ball.
“She’s deceptively fast,” she said. “She’s 6-4 and she just moves. She just floats over the floor.”
In addition to her height, Flynn is a rarity among setters in that she’s also left-handed.
“It helps (the team) with hitting over on two and dumping,” Flynn said. “That’s definitely an advantage.”
Being tall and left-handed probably wouldn’t matter as much by themselves. But add the IQ and feel for the game that Campbell has developed since starting to play volleyball at age 5 — and subsequently at an elite national level — and it’s easy to see why she is so acclaimed.
“She has a great touch on the ball,” Vogel said. “Sort of like a quarterback and they know how to release it and do everything with the ball. Campbell is like that version for us in comparison. She understands the game very well. She’s very capable of reading the block and being able to give the ball to individuals who are open. Just that sense of the game helps tremendously.”
In winning the Gatorade award as a junior, Flynn accumulated 533 assists, 137 digs and 124 kills even though she missed 15 matches.
For those who were surprised that Mercy won the Division 1 title last year despite entering the playoffs unranked, consider the run coincided with Flynn becoming fully healthy.
She missed a good portion of last year’s regular season with a minor illness, but once she got healthy and was her dominant self, the Marlins never looked back.
“We just got so much momentum and we played so much as a team at the end of the season,” Flynn said. “It was just carrying us through all the games. We weren’t afraid, and we were pretty confident even though we were underdogs.”
This fall, Flynn is still hungry for more despite already seemingly accomplishing it all in high school volleyball, and with that scholarship to Nebraska in tow.
There might be a Miss Volleyball Award to win now that she’s a senior, and she’s still motivated to bring more team success to Mercy.
“I love my team this year,” she said. “Obviously, we are not the underdogs this season, but I feel we have a lot to prove. I’m really excited to prove to everyone that we can win another state title.”
Whether or not that happens in November, it won’t change the fact that when this season is over, even a powerhouse like Mercy will have a nearly impossible task to replace Flynn.
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Campbell Flynn (28) sets Farmington Hills Mercy’s attack during last season’s Division 1 championship win over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. (Middle) Flynn and her teammates enjoy a moment during their Semifinal win over Clarkston.