Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball Week 8 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 14, 2026
Girls Volleyball District play begins in three weeks, and you won’t find any contenders slowing things down as we speed toward the beginning of the postseason.
Arguably this fall’s most prestigious tournament – the Beast of the East – will be played Saturday with all four state divisions sending ranked teams into the field, and the Upper Peninsula also is hosting one of its most competitive events this season, at Crystal Falls Forest Park. Several teams are attempting to put finishing touches on league championships, and many more have lined up other contenders as they prepare for the playoffs and the ultimatum of win to play again.
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. Bloomfield Hills Marian d. Farmington Hills Mercy (25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17) After suffering two earlier losses to Mercy, Marian (28-3) took this match in four sets, clinched their Catholic High School League Tournament title and has taken over the No. 1 ranking in Division 1, sending the Marlins (20-4) to No. 2.
2. Parma Western d. Hanover-Horton (26-24, 25-17) Division 2 No. 3 Western’s 6-0 run through Hanover-Horton’s Karen Abbott Invitational pushed its record to 32-0 and also included wins over Division 3 No. 7 Grass Lake, No. 6 Traverse City St. Francis, Hudson, Brooklyn Columbia Central and Division 4 No. 1 Adrian Lenawee Christian, in addition to the Division 3 No. 10 Comets (21-7-5).
3. Midland Dow d. Saginaw Valley Lutheran (30-28, 20-25, 25-20) The Chargers (36-4-4) also handed Division 2 No. 4 Frankenmuth its first during this home quad, but the night’s most exciting set may have been the first one of this win over Division 3 top-ranked Saginaw Valley Lutheran (38-6-1).
4. Traverse City Central d. Grand Rapids South Christian (25-20, 25-18) The Trojans (22-2-1) finished 4-0 at the Hudsonville Unity Christian Invitational, with this sweep of the Division 2 No. 8 Sailors (22-7) the highlight but a three-set win over honorable mention Vicksburg also of note.
5. Roscommon d. Traverse City St. Francis (25-20, 25-15) These two top-10 teams in Division 3 locked up as part of a quad, with the No. 3-ranked and host Bucks (29-6-5) avenging last year’s loss to the No. 6 Gladiators (24-13-2).
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Clarkston (20-2) The Wolves have held down the No. 3 ranking in Division 1 since Sept. 8, trailing only Mercy and Marian after falling to both in August. Those are Clarkston’s only losses this season as it looks to bounce back from last year’s District exit against Oxford – which the Wolves defeated to start this season and again last week. A pair of wins over No. 8 Lowell and singles over No. 10 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern and No. 5 South Lyon East also pop off the page.
South Lyon East (25-5) The No. 5 Cougars’ most recent win also was the best of several memorable ones this fall, as they downed No. 2 Mercy in three sets last week after losing the first 25-12. They also have defeated No. 10 Forest Hills Northern twice, honorable mention Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and No. 9 Grand Haven once, and honorable mention South Lyon twice after the Lions ended East’s 2025 season in their District. Those two rivals are headed to the same District again next month.
DIVISION 2
Detroit Country Day (12-6-1) The Yellowjackets haven’t played as many matches as most contenders, but they’ve tested themselves against some of the state’s elite with losses to Division 1 No. 2 Mercy, top-ranked Marian and honorable mention St. Mary’s among others. The two-time reigning Division 2 champion is ranked No. 2 currently and tonight has an opportunity to avenge its Sept. 30 defeat against the Eaglets. Country Day also will see Division 1 No. 5 South Lyon East a second time Oct. 22 after winning their first matchup Sept. 3.
Marshall (23-9-1) The unranked Redhawks have navigated tough competition all season, going five sets before falling to No. 3 Parma Western in Interstate 8 Athletic Conference play, but defeating honorable mention Vicksburg, Division 3 No. 2 Plymouth Christian Academy, No. 4 Clinton and honorable mention Morley Stanwood and going 1-2 against Division 1 honorable mention Battle Creek Lakeview. Total, five defeats have come against teams ranked or honorable mention in Divisions 1 and 2.
DIVISION 3
Cass City (18-6-4) These Red Hawks have tested themselves substantially as they look next month to run their District title streak to six and potentially return to the season’s final weekend for what would be the fourth time this decade. Cass City went 2-2-1 at the opening Cadillac Invitational, 0-2-2 at the MI Elite Program Cup and 1-2-1 at the D3/D4 Showdown, facing elite and/or often much larger opponents at all three. The Red Hawks are otherwise 15-0 this fall.
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (26-6) WMC matched up with a tough crew of larger opponents at the Unity Christian Invitational over the weekend and finished only 1-3 there. But the No. 5-ranked Warriors are otherwise 25-3 this season with a 5-0 day over a field that included honorable mention Hart and Fruitport in winning Mona Shores’ Best of the West, plus an earlier victory over Division 2 previously-honorable mention Fremont.
DIVISION 4
Atlanta (25-0) The Huskies are an honorable mention in this week’s poll and one of three teams statewide still undefeated. They’ve won Regional titles the last two seasons and this fall have lost only six sets. Atlanta went 5-0 winning all 10 sets during the Onaway Tournament and finished 6-0 winning all 12 sets it played at the Oscoda Invitational last month. The Huskies will travel Oct. 20 to face Hale, which delivered their only regular-season defeat of 2025.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (23-6-3) The No. 2-ranked Irish have won nine of their last 10 matches, the lone loss during that time to Division 3 top-ranked Valley Lutheran, and they also defeated Division 4 No. 7 Ubly that day. Three losses total have come to Valley Lutheran, with the other three to Division 2 No. 8 North Branch, Division 3 No. 3 Roscommon and No. 9 Elk Rapids. Sacred Heart also can count a win over Division 4 No. 4 Traverse City Christian and a tie with No. 9 Crystal Falls Forest Park.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Thursday – Grand Haven (26-8-1) at Hudsonville (28-3) – The best from the always-strong Ottawa-Kent Conference Red are the No. 9 Buccaneers and No. 6 Eagles, and Hudsonville won the first match Sept. 17 in three sets.
Thursday – Detroit Country Day (12-6-1) at Macomb Lutheran North (23-1) – The Nos. 2 and 6 teams in Division 2, respectively, face off in what could be a Regional Final preview.
Thursday – Elk Rapids (14-7-3) at Traverse City Christian (27-6) – The Division 3 No. 9 Elks and Division 4 No. 4 Sabres meet in one of northern Michigan’s most anticipated matchups of the season.
Saturday – Beast of the East at Trinity Health Sports Center – The field of 32 includes 18 teams currently ranked or receiving honorable mentions in Divisions 1-4, and a few others formerly in that group. Division 1 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Marian and Division 2 No. 1 Grand Rapids Christian are among those taking the court.
Tuesday – Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (11-18), Forest Hills Northern (22-8) at Grand Rapids Christian (22-3) – As noted above, the Eagles are ranked No. 1 in Division 2, and Forest Hills Northern is No. 10 in Division 1.
PHOTO (Top) DeWitt returns a volley during a match this season against Okemos. (Photo by TCP Photography.)
Leland's Glass Childress Selected as 11th Michigan Inductee Into NFHS Hall of Fame
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 9, 2026
More than two decades have passed since Alisha Glass took her final swing at a volleyball in a Leland High School uniform, and yet her accomplishments for her small-town school in Northern Michigan remain among the most notable in that sport’s history not just statewide, but at the national level.
Glass, now Alisha Glass Childress – who went on to star on three Penn State national championship teams and help the U.S. national team to a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics – will have her record-setting high school career enshrined this summer as one of 12 honorees announced today as this year’s inductees into the National High School Hall of Fame by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Childress will be inducted as part of the 43rd Hall of Fame class at a ceremony during the NFHS summer meeting June 29 in Salt Lake City. The rest of the class is made up of four more athletes, three coaches, two game officials, one former state association administrator and one former fine arts educator. Childress was nominated by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
She will become the Hall of Fame’s 11th inductee from Michigan, joining the MHSAA’s first full-time Executive Director Charles E. Forsythe (inducted 1983), River Rouge boys basketball coach Lofton Greene (1986), Warren Regina athletic director, softball and basketball coach Diane Laffey (2000), Fennville basketball and baseball standout Richie Jordan (2001), Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett boys and girls tennis coach Bob Wood (2005), Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook hockey standout Jim Johnson (2007), Owosso football, basketball and baseball all-stater Brad Van Pelt (2011); Vermontville Maple Valley baseball national record holder Ken Beardslee (2016), retired MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts (2022) and Dearborn Heights Robichaud football, basketball and track & field star Tyrone Wheatley (2024).
“My high school career at Leland, surrounded by such an amazing support system and community, was the essential first chapter of my story. It cultivated the grit and the fundamental love for the game that allowed me to reach the highest levels of athletics,” Childress said. “I’m proud of every medal and trophy, but I’m just as proud of the roots I planted back in high school that made them all possible.”
Childress 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.
“As our staff researched our first 50 years of female sports for our ‘Title IX at 50’ celebration during the 2021-22 school year, they told stories of several standouts who went on to collegiate, Olympic and professional stardom – and Alisha Glass stands out even among the greats,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “Taking into account everything she accomplished individually and with her teams, and not just in volleyball but basketball as well, it’s a strong argument that Alisha Glass continues to set the bar as not only our state’s best female athlete all-time, but arguably the most accomplished volleyball player in national high school history. We are thrilled that she will be inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame.”
Also during high school, Childress played on the 2004 and 2005 USA youth national volleyball teams and helped the 2004 team to the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORECA) championship, and was named Best Server at that event. 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.
Most recently, Childress played for the Pro Volleyball Federation's Vegas Thrill in 2024 and 2025 and played in the league's first All-Star Match last season. She’s currently the head coach of the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball and last summer also completed her first season as a coach with Athletes Unlimited. She previously served 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 also served as an assistant for the gold medal-winning U.S. national team during the 2018 Pan American Cup.
Childress is the daughter of Laurie Glass, who retired from coaching Leland after the 2023 season and ranks seventh in MHSAA girls volleyball coaching history for victories with a career record of 1,259-410-124. Glass led Leland to three Class D championships and five runner-up finishes. Childress’ grandfather Larry Glass ranks on the MHSAA girls basketball coaching victory list with a 388-110 record and led Leland to three straight Class D titles from 1980-82. He also coached the Northwestern University men’s basketball team for six seasons.
Additionally, Childress is married to past Stanford basketball star Josh Childress, who went on to play eight seasons in the NBA and several more overseas. They have three daughters, Maya, Mina and Amara.
The National High School Hall of Fame was started in 1982 by the NFHS. The 12 individuals were chosen after a two-level selection process involving a screening committee composed of active high school state association administrators, coaches and officials, and a final selection committee composed of coaches, former athletes, state association officials, media representatives and educational leaders. Nominations were made through NFHS member associations. Also chosen for this class were athletes Joe Carter (Oklahoma), Jordan Larson (Nebraska), Krissy Wendell-Pohl (Minnesota) and Patrick Willis (Tennessee); sport coaches Jan Barker (Texas), David Gentry (North Carolina) and Flo Valdez (New Mexico); game officials Burney Jenkins (Kentucky) and Mary Lou Thimas (Massachusetts), former state association administrator Steve Savarese (Alabama) and former fine arts educator Craig Ihnen (Iowa).
For more on this year’s Hall of Fame class, visit the NFHS Website.