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.)
P-W Volleyball Adds to School's Championship Tradition with 1st Finals Win
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 19, 2022
BATTLE CREEK – The message in the Pewamo-Westphalia huddle Saturday following a dropped third set was to get back to having fun.
The Pirates had been at their best all season while playing loose, and in the Division 3 Final with Kalamazoo Christian pulling to within a set, they didn’t want to let the pressure get to them.
Then Kellogg Arena provided an assist.
“Our team has a tradition of the ‘Cupid Shuffle,’” senior outside hitter Dani Pohl said. “It’s always on our playlist, and we always drop anything to dance to it. So, before the song came on we were just like, ‘We need to play loose. We play our best when we have fun.’ Then that song came on and we were like, ‘OK. This is our song. This is our set. We’re going to win this thing in four. We’re going to play loose and have fun. I honestly think the dance break just loosened everybody up. We knew what we needed to do, and we just went out there and did it.”
Pewamo-Westphalia shuffled its way to a 25-17 win in the fourth set, closing out a 25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17 victory and the program’s first Finals title.
“The feeling really hasn’t set in yet,” said Pirates junior Taylor Smith, who had the match-winning ace. “It doesn’t really feel like we just did that. I think it’s really important for all of us, because not only did we do it for ourselves, we did it for our entire community. Everybody has been looking forward to this. We did something big, and it’s going to last us forever.”
Pewamo-Westphalia has had plenty of success as an athletic department. But this trip to the Finals was the volleyball program’s first since a runner-up finish in 1994.
“The popularity of our sport right now, there’s been a lot of success over the eight years that I’ve been here, and the amount of kids we have coming out to play the sport right now is just humongous,” Pewamo-Westphalia coach Jon Thelen said. “Every time we are successful in something, more kids seem to show up out of nowhere. This is just a great way to keep the community growing and loving the sport. I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot more state titles ahead of this program.”
To get title No. 1, the Pirates had to hold off a scrappy Kalamazoo Christian team that didn’t blink when it went down two sets in its first Final since 1976.
The Comets battled through the third set, and built a 15-11 lead after a pair of kills from junior outside hitter Holland DeVries.
Pewamo-Westphalia (46-2-2) erased the deficit and eventually held a 20-18 lead before a back-and-forth finish tightened up the match at two sets to one. On Friday, Kalamazoo Christian had found itself in a similar position, going down two sets before coming all the way back to defeat Calumet in the Semifinal.
“I think I said those exact words, ‘We were right here yesterday,’” Kalamazoo Christian coach Carlie Southland said. “‘If we can come back like we did yesterday, we can come back like that today.’”
Of course, that wasn’t to be, as Pewamo-Westphalia took control of the fourth set relatively early, and built a 20-11 lead before eventually closing it out with Smith’s ace.
“I’m just proud of this group,” Thelen said. “We really battled all season, and it’s one of those things that started last year. I just kind of had this feeling going through the summer of what we were going to be able to do this year. I knew we were going to be very good, but how good, we just proved it today against a very good team.”
Saige Martin led the Pewamo-Westphalia attack with 13 kills, while adding 12 digs and three blocks. Pohl added 10 kills and 15 digs, while Smith had 36 assists and 11 digs. Sierra Schneider led the front line defensively for the Pirates with five blocks.
DeVries led Kalamazoo Christian with 17 kills and 16 digs. Marissa Fetterley added 11 kills and four blocks, while Makenna Ekkens and Hope Krichke each had 12 digs. Lola Stecker had 38 assists for the Comets (38-6-3).
PHOTOS (Top) Pewamo-Westphalia celebrates its Division 3 championship Saturday at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) The Pirates’ Sierra Schneider (12) winds up to hit with Kalamazoo Christian’s Marisa Fetterley (15) putting up a block. (Below) P-W’s Dani Pohl makes contact on a kill attempt.