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.)
Performance: Notre Dame Prep's Maddy Chinn
September 14, 2017
Maddy Chinn
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep junior - Volleyball
Notre Dame Prep, one of the elite programs in Michigan with two Class B titles over the last decade, is ranked No. 1 again with a record of 24-2-2. The Fighting Irish have played 12 state-ranked teams – 10 ranked in Class A – and Saturday downed Class A No. 7 Temperance Bedford in the semifinal and then reigning Class C champion and top-ranked Bronson in the final to win the Battle Creek Lakeview Invitational. Chinn had 14 kills in the two-set semifinal and 21 in the three-set championship match to earn the first Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week” of the 2017-18 school year.
The 6-foot-3 outside hitter has been on varsity since freshman year, participating in three rotations starting out, five last season and now all six. She made the Class B all-state second team as a freshman and the first team last season – and this fall she’s averaging 4.3 kills per game with a .339 hitting percentage and .453 kill percentage. But she contributes all over the floor, serving for 105 points and 36 aces in 63 games so far, with 48 blocks and 167 digs as well. Her 682 kills as a sophomore qualified for the MHSAA record book for a single season, and her 1,484 career kills through Wednesday already make that list as well although she has the better part of two seasons to play. Chinn should finish as one of the most celebrated players to take the court for longtime coach Betty Wroubel, the third-winningest volleyball coach in MHSAA history.
Chinn has earned national recognition as well and committed to sign next year with Purdue University, currently ranked No. 15 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She carries a 4.0 grade-point average and plans to major in dentistry when that time comes; in the meantime, she’ll try to lead Notre Dame Prep to its first MHSAA title since 2013 and after the Irish fell in a Regional Semifinal last season to eventual champion North Branch.
Coach Betty Wroubel said: “Yes, being 6-3 helps in volleyball, but height alone isn’t going to get it done. She’s a student of the game, she works hard in the game, and it’s so much more than stats. Her leadership on and off the court is exemplary, up there with the top kids I’ve worked with. And it’s not just hitting; she wants to be the best defender, she wants to be the best server, she wants to do it all. She has a high volleyball IQ, and her biggest improvement has been her ability to read what the other team is doing offensively, what they’re trying to do to stop her … for someone so young to be able to see that, it’s pretty special.”
Performance Point: “In practice, we've been putting a lot of work in, not just calling the ball, but letting each other know what spots are open and analyzing the other side of the net to find and expose the other team's weaknesses,” Chinn said. “We've been working really hard on that, and I thought that came together a lot to help us be in the finals. My (biggest contribution is) communication, to deliver the information that I see to each individual teammate in a unique way which is best for them … I want to be someone they can look to for calmness and confidence in us as a team, especially in pressure situations. The Bronson game, I think we mentally and physically prepared ourselves to play them. I thought we just really performed well and were in sync.”
Time to lead: “As my role has expanded on the court, I’d say my vocalization on the court has expanded too. The more I’ve been on the court, the more I can express to my teammates some shots they can hit, what we can be reading, and I feel like the more I’m on the court, the more I can help my teammates – which is really important to me. Being a good teammate, I think, includes putting them in the most successful position they can be in.”
Another year wiser: “The game is slowing down even when we play high-level competition. For example, the Mercy game I saw things I wouldn’t have seen a year ago, like reading their shoulders and their arms and where they’re facing and their hips and anticipating what’s going to happen next. And being there before they even know where they’re going to put the ball.”
Learning from a legend: “Honestly, it's an honor to be an athlete and to have (Wroubel) as my coach. I've learned so much over the three years already I've been here. I can't say I go a day without learning something new or adjusting something that will help me now and in the future.”
Paging Dr. Chinn: “I’m going to major in dentistry. I think it would be really interesting, and I could do some good things in that area. I’ve always been into the medical field, and I think being an orthodontist – I’m really into math and sciences – I think that would be a great place for me.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
PHOTOS: (Top) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep's Maddy Chinn receives the ball during a match this fall. (Middle) Chinn rises to begin her swing on a kill attempt. (Photos by Kim Bucchi.)