Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball Week 6 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 30, 2026
League play is in full swing across Michigan, and several leagues include multiple teams earning statewide respect in the latest Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association polls as well.
As we gear up for the middle of this girls volleyball season, we’ll of course continue to feature many of the major tournaments taking place on weekends – we have several coming up this Saturday – but we’re also turning our eyes to some of these significant league matchups, including a few from last week and a few more coming up.
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. Parma Western d. Marshall (20-25, 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 15-10) These Interstate 8 Athletic Conference rivals went the distance in a match that also had statewide interest with Western (21-0) ranked No. 3 in Division 2 and Marshall (18-7-1) No. 8.
2. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central d. Flat Rock (26-24, 15-25, 23-25, 26-24, 15-9) This Huron League matchup also carries intrigue extending past local play, with SMCC No. 8 in Division 3 and Flat Rock earning honorable mention in Division 2.
3. Bloomfield Hills Marian d. Lowell (25-19, 25-14, 25-12) Division 1 No. 2 Marian (25-3) went 3-0 at Grand Haven’s quad, also defeating Lake Orion and the No. 10 Bucs, but this win over the No. 9 Red Arrows (18-13) particularly stands out.
4. Edwardsburg d. Otsego (25-13, 14-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12) The Division 2 No. 7 Eddies (15-5) multiple times held off comeback attempts by honorable mention Otsego (9-6) to win a key Wolverine Conference match.
5. Hudsonville d. South Lyon (25-18, 25-21) The Division 1 No. 5 Eagles (20-2) finished 4-0 at their invitational, the highlight this sweep of the honorable mention Lions (18-9-1).
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Midland Dow (34-4-4) The unranked Chargers earned honorable mention in the Division 1 poll during the season’s first month and are making a play to get that recognition back, with a 5-0 day at their co-hosted Charger/Chemic Challenge the latest success. Two losses were to No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian and Division 3 No. 4 Clinton, and victories over Division 2 No. 5 Kingsley, No. 10 North Branch, honorable mention Tecumseh and Division 3 No. 2 Roscommon stick out among several.
Utica Eisenhower (23-2) After reaching at least 33 wins the last two years, Eisenhower is on pace for the same and potentially more. The Eagles have won 14 straight matches dating back to the first day of September and with both losses to Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian at the same August tournament. Victories over Division 1 No. 7 South Lyon East, No. 9 Lowell and honorable mentions Bloomfield Hills, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and South Lyon all have contributed to Eisenhower’s No. 6 ranking.
DIVISION 2
Dearborn Divine Child (15-4) Divine Child is unranked but maybe not for long considering a nine-match winning streak that’s included a comeback win over honorable mention Tecumseh. The Falcons have won District titles and most seasons much more every year this decade and are lining up for another run with good losses to Division 1 No. 10 Grand Haven, honorable mention Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Novi and Plymouth and more competitive matches coming up – notably in Catholic High School League tournament play and against Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central on Oct. 14.
Tecumseh (19-5-2) Tecumseh is an honorable mention in the latest poll and enjoying an eight-match unbeaten streak, with a pair of tournament ties to Lansing Catholic and Williamston over the weekend – and a win over the Cougars at the same event. Tecumseh also owns two impressive victories over Division 3 No. 4 Clinton, and the losses have been strong, against No. 5 Kingsley and Midland Dow during the season’s first weekend, Linden, and No. 3 Parma Western and Divine Child before starting the current success streak.
DIVISION 3
Grass Lake (11-2-2) The Warriors are an honorable mention this week and climbing as well, as they haven’t lost since the season’s first weekend and have dropped only four sets during an eight-match winning streak. The losses came during the first week to current Division 2 honorable mentions Tecumseh and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, and that weekend they also earned draws with Gabriel Richard and Division 3 honorable mention Hanover-Horton.
Traverse City St. Francis (15-7-1) The Gladiators are another honorable mention and riding high after defeating Division 4 No. 4 Traverse City Christian in four sets Monday. That was their second win this season over the Sabres, and a loss to Division 3 No. 5 Elk Rapids two weeks ago is the only flaw during a current 8-1-1 run. St. Francis spent most of August and early September playing larger opponents, mostly from downstate, but wins over No. 7 Manton and Division 4 No. 10 Onekama closer to home also were highlights during that time.
DIVISION 4
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (20-6) The No. 6-ranked Lancers opened the season with eight wins over two tournaments, and they’ve already surpassed last season’s 19 victories. They’ve powered through several opponents from Divisions 1, 2 and 3 especially during two weekends of Motor City Power Series play, during which they’ve gone a combined 4-4. A four-set loss to Division 3 honorable mention Plymouth Christian Academy on Tuesday was tough for league purposes, but they’ll meet again Oct. 22.
Baraga (17-0) The unranked Vikings no doubt are making a bid to join the elite list, as they’ve dropped three sets all season with two of those coming during a five-set win over Painesdale Jeffers last week. This run has included 5-0 days at the Copper Mountain Conference Tournament and Baraga Invitational, and circle a match at No. 9 Hancock on Oct. 8 as another great test of where the Vikings stand. Hancock ended Baraga’s 2025 run in District play.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Wednesday – Essexville Garber (21-7-4) at Frankenmuth (16-0) – The Division 2 No. 6 Eagles must hold off the honorable mention Dukes in the Tri-Valley Conference Red after Garber won the matchup in five sets a year ago.
Thursday – Concord (11-3-3), Grass Lake (11-2-2) at Hillsdale Academy (13-5) – This high-powered set features the host Colts ranked No. 8 in Division 4, with Concord an honorable mention and Grass Lake an honorable mention in Division 3.
Saturday – Jenison Invitational – A strong field includes mostly west-side teams including Division 1 No. 5 Hudsonville and No. 10 Grand Haven and Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian, but with Division 1 honorable mention South Lyon also making the trip among 11 schools total.
Saturday – D3/D4 Showdown at Trinity Health Sports Center – This annual event’s field is filled with several strong small-school teams.
Saturday – Best of the West at Muskegon Mona Shores – The Sailors will host eight teams including Fruitport, Division 2 honorable mention Fremont, Division 3 No. 3 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian and No. 10 Hart.
PHOTOS (Top) East Grand Rapids lines up for a kill attempt during a match this season against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. (Middle) Breckenridge and Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart blockers and hitters meet at the net. (EGR/FHN photo by Michigan Sports Photo. Breckenridge/Sacred Heart photo by High School Sports Scene.)
Italian Exchange Student Cerma Lends Big Swing, Enthusiasm to Escanaba
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 31, 2023
ESCANABA — Andrea Cerma is not new to volleyball.
Playing at Escanaba High School, this fall, however, was a new experience for the exchange student from Italy.
The senior left-handed hitter made the most of her opportunity while becoming one of the team’s leaders. Escanaba’s season came to an end Monday with a Division 2 District loss to Houghton.
“Andrea has brought a lot of passion,” coach Adam Lambert said. “She celebrates every point, which is something Escanaba has struggled with. Here, they celebrate the big points. I think some of it has rubbed off on the other girls. It’s contagious.”
There are no school-sponsored teams in Italy, where athletes instead play on club teams.
“The culture is completely different,” Cerma said. “We play outside. It would be warm over there for Michigan people. We also get a lot of wind. The wind has zero effect when you play inside, but it’s more of a factor outside.
Cerma is a left-handed hitter and said she believes that threw opponents off at first. Also an 88-percent server, she averaged five kills, three assists and three digs a game and had a 1.71 serve receive rating through the end of the regular season last week. She collected six kills in a 3-0 victory over Menominee and added seven kills and five assists in last Tuesday’s 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-17, 25-22) loss to Marquette.
“Andrea is our leading scorer,” Lambert said last week. “She’s very coachable and not afraid to ask questions if she doesn’t understand a drill or an assignment.
"Over there, they do more stretching. Here, teams shake hands and go home after the matches. Andrea does stretching after every match and leads the other girls in stretching, although it hasn’t really caught on here yet.”
“Andrea has brought a lot of excitement and new things to our team,” senior Aleaha Lambert added. “She has a great swing. We’re learning new ways to do things. Right now we need to work on reaching high and following through on our swings.”
Prior to last Thursday’s 3-0 loss (25-21, 25-14, 25-15) to Manistique, Cerma had 132 kills, 87 digs, 77 assists and 12 blocks on the season.
“Andrea has been real flexible,” Coach Lambert said. “We moved her to an outside hitter position which made it easier for her to get some shots. She had one perfect night where she didn’t have any hitting errors. She's a very accurate hitter. She had as many (as) 17-18 kills in one match. Other teams didn’t see that coming. She can see the court real well. Andrea has been a nice addition to our team.”
Cerma finished with three kills and three digs in Thursday’s regular-season finale against the Emeralds. She added two kills, an assist and three digs against Houghton in the closing 18-25, 18-25, 25-23, 23-25 defeat.
“(Manistique’s) energy is very high,” junior Lily Nelson said after that match. “They were paying attention to Andrea for sure. She’s a real good all-around player who brings a lot of energy to our team.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (top) Escanaba’s Andrea Cerma prepares to serve against Marquette on Oct. 24. (Middle) Cerma (13) ascends to kill the ball during a match against Manistique on Thursday. (Photos courtesy of the Escanaba Daily Press.)