Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball Week 7 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 7, 2026
Just as the girls volleyball regular season begins speeding toward its conclusion, clicks on our Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) page are sure to accelerate over the next three weeks.
District play begins Nov. 2, and brackets will be announced eight days earlier on Oct. 25. MPR is used to seed the top two teams in every District, and although there’s only one example below, references to how teams stack up on those lists will become more prevalent in our weekly reports as we close in on the start of the playoffs.
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. Saginaw Valley Lutheran d. Plymouth Christian Academy (25-21, 25-17) The Division 3 top-ranked Chargers (36-4-1) finished 6-0 at the D3/D4 Showcase, with this win arguably the most notable as Valley Lutheran remains No. 1 statewide this week but PCA (21-6-4) bumped up from honorable mention to No. 2.
2. Grand Rapids Christian d. Hudsonville (25-19, 25-19) Division 2 top-ranked Christian (22-3) avenged a pool play loss to Division 1 No. 5 Hudsonville (26-3) at the Jenison Invitational to win this rematch in the championship round.
3. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s d. Detroit Country Day (25-19, 25-16, 25-23) The Division 1 honorable mention Eaglets (13-8-1) continued their climb with a sweep of the two-time reigning Division 2 champion and current No. 2 Yellowjackets (12-6-1).
4. Kingsley d. Elk Rapids (25-15, 25-17, 25-11) This Northern Shores Conference matchup saw a pair of ranked teams face off and the Division 2 No. 5 Stags (29-3-1) prevail over the Division 3 No. 5 Elks (13-7-3).
5. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian d. Hart (24-26, 27-25, 25-18) While Division 3 No. 3 WMC went on to defeat Fruitport and Muskegon Mona Shores to win the latter’s Best of the West tournament, this win over No. 10 Hart (19-10-3) sticks out as well as the Warriors (23-2) came back after losing the first set.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (22-8) The honorable mention Huskies opened this week with a notable four-set victory over honorable mention East Grand Rapids, which is listed ahead of FHN in Division 1 MPR. Six of Forest Hills Northern’s losses have come against top-10 teams in Division 1, and six wins have come against opponents ranked or honorable mentions in Divisions 1 or 2, including Division 1 No. 4 Byron Center.
Hudsonville (26-3) The No. 5 Eagles were runners-up at the Jenison Invitational thanks to a split with Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian, but that championship match defeat broke a 13-match winning streak. The Eagles’ only other losses have come versus Brighton and Division 1 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian, and Hudsonville has defeated No. 8 Lowell, honorable mention Forest Hills Northern twice, No. 4 Byron Center, No. 9 Grand Haven, No. 7 South Lyon East, honorable mention South Lyon twice and GR Christian another time as well.
DIVISION 2
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (25-3-2) The Irish are an honorable mention in Division 2 and finished second in the Catholic High School League AA to Dearborn Divine Child, thanks to early-September back-to-back league losses to the Falcons and Jackson Lumen Christi. FGR’s only other defeat came to No. 3 Parma Western during opening weekend, and the Irish have won 16 straight matches and their last three tournaments.
Edwardsburg (21-5) The No. 7 Eddies defeated honorable mention Marshall and Division 1 honorable mention Zeeland East over four wins to claim the Portage Central Tournament title on Saturday, and their win over the host Mustangs also avenged Edwardsburg’s most recent loss from Sept. 19. A championship at the Gull Lake Invitational to start this season included a win over Niles, which ended the Eddies’ 2025.
DIVISION 3
Calumet (14-9-1) After opening the season 0-4 at the Cadillac Invitational – which included defeats against Division 1 honorable mention Zeeland East, Division 3 No. 8 Cass City and honorable mention Manton – the honorable mention Copper Kings are 8-2-1 against in-state opponents. They’ve defeated Division 4 No. 7 Crystal Falls Forest Park and went five sets before losing to Division 4 No. 9 Hancock, and they saw more of the state’s best taking a loss but also tying Division 3 No. 2 Plymouth Christian Academy at the D3/D4 Showdown.
Plymouth Christian Academy (21-6-4) The Eagles returned to the Quarterfinals a year ago and are in the midst of an 8-1-1 surge this fall that’s sent them back up to No. 2 in the weekly coaches poll. Their D3/D4 Showdown weekend included the above-noted loss to No. 1 Valley Lutheran but also wins over No. 5 Clinton, No. 8 Cass City and honorable mention Calumet among others. Only two other losses this season came to Division 3 or 4 opponents.
DIVISION 4
Crystal Falls Forest Park (26-3-1) The Trojans reached the Semifinals last season for the third time in four years and haven’t slowed down, falling only to No. 4 Traverse City Christian, No. 9 Hancock and Division 3 honorable mention Calumet. They’re up to No. 7 in the Division 4 rankings while riding a 14-match winning streak and coming off a 6-0 day at the Escanaba Invitational. An opening-weekend trip downstate included the loss to TC Christian but also a win over No. 10 Onekama and tie versus No. 3 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
Traverse City Christian (23-5) The No. 4-ranked Sabres have strung together two straight trips to the Quarterfinals and won their first 10 matches this fall including a three-setter over Division 3 top-ranked Saginaw Valley Lutheran. The losses are pretty impressive as well, to Division 3 No. 3 Roscommon, twice to Division 3 No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis, and then to Division 4 No. 3 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart and No. 10 Onekama. A home match against Division 3 No. 5 Elk Rapids on Oct. 15 will be another important test.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Thursday – Baraga (19-0) at Hancock (17-2-1) – The undefeated Vikings have an opportunity to establish themselves among Division 4 teams to watch with this trip to meet the No. 9 Bulldogs.
Saturday – Motor City Power Series Championship at UWM Sports Complex – The finale of this season’s series begins with power brackets, and the most intriguing includes Division 1 No. 6 Utica Eisenhower, honorable mention Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Rochester Adams and Division 2 No. 9 North Branch.
Saturday – Hanover-Horton Invitational – An impressive field of 12 teams includes Division 2 No. 3 Parma Western, Division 3 No. 2 Plymouth Christian Academy, No. 6 Grass Lake, No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis and the honorable mention Comets, and Division 4 top-ranked Adrian Lenawee Christian and No. 2 Battle Creek St. Philip.
Monday – Roscommon Quad – Mount Pleasant (20-8-2), Essexville Garber (22-11-4) and Division 3 No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis (21-9-1) will join the No. 3-ranked Bucks (26-6-5) for a high-powered night.
Monday – Midland Dow Quad – Another impressive group will visit the Chargers (31-4-4), with Bay City Central, Division 2 No. 4 Frankenmuth (17-0) and Division 3 No. 1 Saginaw Valley Lutheran (36-4-1) taking the court.
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Country Day’s Sienna Musachio (14) gets positioned to play the ball during her team’s sweep of Macomb L’Anse Creuse North on Monday. (Middle) A pair of Mount Pleasant blockers rise above the net during an outdoor match against Alma this fall. (Country Day photo by TCP Photography. Mount Pleasant/Alma photo by High School Sports Scene.)
Mom's Memory Inspires C-F All-Stater
January 9, 2021
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
MONTGOMERY – Jocelynn Nicholls was first drawn to volleyball in grade school.
Over the years, the Camden-Frontier senior has made the transition from being a wild swinging middle-schooler to an apprehensive freshman on the varsity to an all-state volleyball player headed to Trine University to play the sport she loves.
“I fell in love with volleyball when I was in the fourth grade,” she said. “I’ve played basketball and softball, but nothing feels like volleyball.”
It wasn’t always easy for Nicholls, who has overcome the loss of her mother Amy Nicholls during her sophomore season to become a tower of strength for the Redskins.
“She’s been through a lot, but she’s a tough kid and is going to make something of herself,” said Camden-Frontier coach Dawn Follis.
Nicholls’ mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the early part of 2018. By volleyball season that year, her mom had become very ill, enough that Nicholls missed a match when her mom went to the hospital. That season, her mom lost her battle; she died on a game day.
Nicholls had asked her mom earlier that day if she should play.
“I said to her ‘What do you want me to do?’,” said Nicholls, who was 15 at the time. “She squeezed my hand and told me to go. She couldn’t talk, so we had a way to communicate through squeezing my hand. She wanted me to play.”
About halfway through the match against Pittsford, Nicholls felt something she had never experienced before – a feeling, almost like a change in her body.
“My aunt was at the game watching me,” she said. “She even noticed the change in me. I got home after the game, and I figured out the news.”
Her mom, an English professor and dean of the Jannen School of Arts and Sciences at Trine University in nearby Angola, Ind., had passed away.
Nicholls turned to volleyball to help her through. Using her mom as her strength, she didn’t miss another match. Volleyball has always been a big part of her life.
“I’ve come a long way since my freshman year,” she said. “Being pulled up to the varsity was a huge thing. It was a great opportunity for me to grow as a player. It really opened my eyes.”
After that season on the varsity, she started playing club volleyball, first at a club in Hillsdale, then at Team Pineapple Volleyball Club in Angola, which is less than a half hour from her home.
"Once I started playing for other teams, I started playing up, against older girls,” she said. “When I was a freshman I was playing against a bunch of seniors.”
Follis and the Redskins have built a small-school powerhouse in south central Michigan, just north of the Michigan-Indiana state line. Nicholls helped Camden-Frontier to a school-record 40 wins that sophomore season and they won 36 matches and the school’s first Regional crown in 2019. This fall’s was another outstanding season for the Redskins, who went 25-3 and won a fourth-straight District title. Over Nicholls’ four varsity seasons, Camden-Frontier won more than 100 matches.
Nicholls had a great season in 2020, earning first-team all-state honors from the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association. Playing about half the matches the Redskins typically play in a season, she recorded 395 kills, averaging 4.34 per set, and accumulated 141 digs. Two of her teammates, junior Dakota Sigler and senior Heather Shaw, made the all-state honorable mention list. (Camden-Frontier fell 3-2 to Lansing Christian in a Regional Semifinal on Nov. 10; Lansing Christian will play in the Quarterfinals on Tuesday.)
Follis said Nicholls knows how to use her height to her advantage.
“She’s very tall and very athletic and aggressive,” Follis said. “She’s worked really hard on her game. When she was in middle school, she was tall and had this wild swing. She played all of the time, and it shows.”
Nicholls stands 6-foot tall. She had 70 blocks and block assists this season.
“I’ve always been really tall,” she said. “I think by the fifth grade I was taller than any boy in my class.
“I always knew I was tall and that would benefit me, but I knew that wasn’t going to be enough. I worked hard to increase my vertical. I put in a lot of time. I definitely try and use that to my advantage."
Follis said Nicholls did use her height to her advantage, something not all tall players do.
“She’s a hitter, and she really jumps well,” said Follis. “In high school she has the ability to change the game with her hitting. She’s a game-changer.”
At the Camden-Frontier matches over the past couple of years, there was typically a large contingent of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins watching Nicholls and her teammates play. That is one of the reasons she chose Trine – her family will be able to see her play.
“I want to be close to my family,” she said. “I’d rather be 20 minutes away than 12 hours away. Family is a big deal for me.”
Nicholls said she loves to hang out with family and friends but doesn’t have time for a lot of other interests outside of sports. She likes to stay busy, no matter what sports season it is. Right now, she is lifting and running on nice days and staying ready for the upcoming basketball season. She’s been on the varsity softball team since her freshman season as well.
“I am fulltime, 100-percent motivated to focus on my game,” she said.
At Trine she plans on majoring in exercise science with the hopes of going into physical therapy or something in the athletic field.
“I want to be there for my mom,” she said. “It’s a big opportunity that I will even get to play there. That’s where I wanted to be.”
Trine is a big part of the Nicholls family. Not only was her mom a professor at the school, but she also graduated from Trine. Her dad Scott and brother Mason also went to Trine. Jocelynn started going there at a young age and impressed the volleyball coach years ago.
“When I was a freshman, I went there for a camp and the coach told me if I continued to work hard, I would get a (scholarship) offer,” she recalled.
Losing her mother a couple of years ago, Nicholls said, completely changed her outlook on life.
“It provided me an opportunity to grow,” she said. “It makes me want to give 100 percent all of the time and not take anything for granted. You are not promised tomorrow.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Camden-Frontier’s Jocelynn Nicholls holds up her team’s District title trophy from this season. (Middle) Nicholls serves during a match this fall. (Photos by Doug Donnelly.)