Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball Week 9 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 21, 2026
It’s always tournament season for Michigan’s high school girls volleyball teams, but this moment in time seems to especially stand out.
This past Saturday, a total of 257 teams – almost 37 percent of the state’s varsities – played at least one match, the majority as part of multi-team events.
And this Sunday, Oct. 25, this season’s District brackets will be announced, including the top two seeds in each as determined by Michigan Power Ratings (MPR).
Below are highlights from the past week with more to come as the final calculations are made to set those postseason matchups.
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. Byron Center d. Grand Rapids Christian (25-12, 25-12) The No. 3-ranked Bulldogs (34-4) continued to cement themselves as contenders in Division 1 with the championship at the prestigious Beast of the East, sweeping Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian (24-4) to finish a 6-1 day.
2. Traverse City Christian d. Kingsley (25-21, 25-21) Division 4 No. 3 Traverse City Christian finished 4-1 at the McBain Invitational, losing only to the host Ramblers but also becoming just the fifth team to defeat the Division 2 No. 8 Stags (40-5-1).
3. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern d. Bloomfield Hills Marian (25-22, 25-23) Division 1 No. 6 FHN (28-9) finished 3-1 at Beast of the East with a win as well over honorable mention Grand Haven but this one over formerly top-ranked-now-No. 2 Marian (31-4) was the most notable.
4. Tecumseh d. Adrian Lenawee Christian (17-25, 25-21, 15-10) Division 2 honorable mention Tecumseh (31-6-2) finished 6-0 at the Lenawee County Tournament, with Division 4 top-ranked Lenawee Christian (34-5) the only team to take a set during those matches.
5. Saginaw Valley Lutheran d. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (25-16, 25-20) Division 3 top-ranked Valley Lutheran (44-6-2) went 6-0-1 at the M3 Invitational, with this the only loss taken on the day by the Division 4 No. 2 Irish (30-7-3).
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Bloomfield Hills (28-9) The Black Hawks graduated Miss Volleyball Kayla Nwabueze after last season, but have navigated some tough competition to remain among the highly-regarded. They are an honorable mention in the Division 1 poll and coming off a 3-1 day at the Novi Wildcat Showcase with a win there over No. 9 Clarkston. Bloomfield Hills followed that up Tuesday by downing Division 2 No. 2 Detroit Country Day 3-0.
Brighton (23-9-1) A four-set win over honorable mention Orchard Lake St. Mary’s last week was the latest boost for the also-honorable mention Bulldogs, who have won eight straight matches. Five losses and the tie have come against ranked or honorable mention teams in Divisions 1 and 2, and a 2-1 win over Division 1 No. 7 Hudsonville at the East vs. West Showdown on Sept. 19 was memorable as well.
DIVISION 2
Kingsford (21-3-2) The Flivvers nearly have matched last season’s 22-3 record thanks in part to a 3-0 Saturday at the Clash of the Divisions where they defeated Division 1 Marquette, Division 3 honorable mention Calumet and Division 4 No. 9 Crystal Falls Forest Park after finishing 1-2 against that group a year ago. The Calumet win avenged a Sept. 10 loss, and the other two defeats this season came during a 2-2 day at the Cadillac Fall Tournament.
North Branch (28-9-3) The Broncos have maintained their usual place among the Division 2 top 10 all season, but after multiple weeks in the No. 10 slot have built back up to No. 7 thanks to a 10-2 run that’s included wins over Division 1 No. 7 Hudsonville and Division 2 honorable mention Flat Rock. Earlier triumphs over Division 1 honorable mention South Lyon, Division 3 No. 1 Saginaw Valley Lutheran and Division 4 No. 2 Sacred Heart also pop off the page.
DIVISION 3
Hanover-Horton (26-8-5) The Comets climbed to No. 9 in Division 3 this week and have downed No. 5 Clinton, No. 7 Grass Lake and No. 3 Plymouth Christian Academy and tied Division 4 No. 4 Battle Creek St. Philip over the last two weeks. The Clinton and Grass Lake victories avenged earlier losses, and Hanover-Horton could see one of them again in Regional play next month.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (24-2) Another annual contender – and Division 3 champion most recently in 2024 – St. Mary sits No. 8 in the coaches poll with its only losses both to Division 1 honorable mention South Lyon. SMCC finished 4-1 at Beast of the East after last week also finishing a sweep of Division 2 honorable mention Flat Rock amid a perfect run through the Huron League.
DIVISION 4
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (30-7-3) The Irish have reached at least the Regional Finals the last six seasons and could be headed back to Battle Creek with all of its losses coming to ranked or honorable mention teams in Divisions 2 and 3. The Irish are ranked No. 2 in Division 4 with wins over No. 3 Traverse City Christian, No. 7 Ubly and Division 3 honorable mention Morley Stanwood.
Onekama (24-6-1) The Portagers went 3-5 in August and have been on a 21-1-1 tear since with only three sets lost over their last 20 matches. They’ll see Division 3 honorable mention Manton on Saturday as they tune up for the postseason, where they’ll attempt to add to a string of six straight District championships.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Thursday – Hillsdale Academy (21-6) at Battle Creek St. Philip (28-12-4) – This Southern Central Athletic Association crossover game features the Division 4 No. 4 Tigers facing honorable mention Hillsdale Academy.
Thursday – Detroit Country Day (14-7-1) at South Lyon East (29-6) – The Division 1 No. 4 Cougars host Division 2 No. 2 Country Day in what should be an excellent postseason prep match for both.
Thursday – Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (26-8) at Plymouth Christian Academy (26-11-5) – The Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue is topped by this pair of ranked teams, PCA at No. 3 in Division 3 and Oakland Christian at No. 5 in Division 4.
Saturday – East vs. West Challenge at Lowell – The field includes No. 1 Farmington Hills Mercy, No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian and No. 3 Byron Center among six top-10 Division 1 teams, five more Division 1 honorable mentions, and Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian.
Saturday – Frankenmuth Invitational – Another impressive field includes the Division 2 No. 6 Eagles and Division 3 top-ranked Saginaw Valley Lutheran, No. 2 Roscommon and honorable mention Manton.
PHOTOS (Top) A Bath hitter puts the ball over the net during a match against Lansing Christian this season. (Middle) Rockford’s Kendall Anderson (12) sets during a match against Grandville. (Bath/Lansing Christian photo by Click by Christine McCallister. Rockford/Grandville photo by Michigan Sports Media.)
34 Seasons of Volleyball Battles
December 13, 2011
BATTLE CREEK – There’s a good deal of talk that goes around Battle Creek’s volleyball community every fall. And with a significant amount of talent concentrated in such a small area, there’s plenty to say.
Starting in 1979, the last words for a season often have come at Battle Creek’s All-City Tournament.
Battle Creek Central, Lakeview, Pennfield, Harper Creek and St. Philip played in the 34th All-City on Oct. 15 at Pennfield High. All five schools have won the event multiple times, and St. Philip became the latest champion with a 25-22, 25-5 win over Lakeview in this fall’s final.
“It’s a big deal because there are rivalries everywhere,” said Pennfield senior Cassie Pelloni, who played in her fourth and final All-City. “It’s who wants to beat who, and that’s what it comes down to.
“You want to beat the certain teams that have been talking all season.”
A field of five teams from the same town is the basic starting point of this tournament’s charm. Those teams also represent three leagues and three of four state classes. Battle Creek Central and Lakeview are Class A – both 
with nearly 1,400 students total -- while Harper Creek and Pennfield are B. St. Philip is Class D and has an enrollment of 120.
What adds most to the intrigue is the combined success of Battle Creek’s volleyball teams. Three of the five have won state titles (St. Phil has 16, Pennfield two and Lakeview one), but only 10 of those 19 state championship teams also won the All-City during those respective season. This fall’s tournament included standout individuals like Pelloni, a 6-foot-1 hitter who will sign with Oakland, and returning St. Philip all-staters Amanda McKinzie and Sierra Hubbard-Neil. McKenzie, a 6-0 junior hitter, has committed to sign with Virginia Tech; Hubbard-Neil is a 5-9 sophomore hitter and getting similar college attention.
St. Philip is ranked No. 1 in Class D again and Pennfield is tied for first in the Kalamazoo Valley Association heading into Tuesday’s match against Class C No. 1 Delton Kellogg. Harper Creek is coming off of a Class B district title last season and Lakeview and Central both have won Class A district titles at least once during the last five seasons.
Part of the mystique of Battle Creek volleyball dates directly to the leader for whom the championship trophy is named – former Kellogg Community College coach Mick Haley, who led KCC from 1973-79 and guided the Bruins to junior college national championships in his final two seasons. He then moved on to Texas and then Southern California and has won a combined four NCAA national titles with those schools. He’s in his 11th season at USC.
The All-City has been part of St. Philip coach Vicky Groat’s volleyball seasons going back to her own high scho
ol career. She graduated from St. Philip in 1985 and was a senior when the Tigers won the All-City for the first time since 1984. She’s also led St. Philip to six All-City wins as its coach.
“It’s the bragging rights for the year, and a lot of these girls are friends with others on the teams,” Groat said. “Win it, (and) we’re the best in the city. I don’t care what class it is, it’s nice as a player to be able to win one, and as a coach to win a few. And being the only Class D team in the city, it’s kinda nice.”
St. Philip has won the event 11 times – including the last four seasons – followed by Lakeview with eight titles, Pennfield with seven, Central with six and Harper Creek with 2. There’s little secret that these days, St. Philip is the team to beat.
“Oh yeah, we know. We kinda like that. We’re just encouraged to do better,” McKinzie said.
“I feel like it’s a lot different (than other tournaments we play) because we know a little better how everyone plays. We know what we have to do.”
Pool play
Pennfield d. Central 25-11, 25-7
St. Philip d. Harper Creek 25-17, 25-13
Lakeview d. Harper Creek 25-25, 25-18
St. Philip split with Pennfield 25-18, 24-26
Harper Creek split with Pennfield 25-20, 30-32
Lakeview d. Central 25-11, 25-12
Lakeview d. Pennfield 25-23, 25-23
St. Philip d. Central 25-14, 25-17
Harper Creek d. Central 25-16, 26-24
St. Philip d. Lakeview 25-22, 25-12
Semifinals
St. Philip d. Harper Creek 25-9, 25-8
Lakeview d. Pennfield 25-23, 25-20
Final
St. Philip d. Lakeview 25-22, 25-5
Battle Creek Enquirer event coverage
PHOTOS
(Top) Fire away: Battle Creek Lakeview’s Lydia Drikakis serves against Battle Creek St. Philip during pool play of this fall’s All-City Tournament at Pennfield High.
(Trophy) Serve it up: The Mick Haley award, named after the former Kellogg Community College and current Southern California coach, is given to the champion of the annual Battle Creek All-City Tournament.
Set it up: Battle Creek Harper Creek’s Megan Gwathney (6) and Lexi Latshaw (9) prepare to hit while teammate Olivia Black (10) readies at the net during a pool play game against Battle Creek Central.