Kingsford's Sights Set on Postseason Success After 4th-Straight League Sweep
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 30, 2026
MARQUETTE — After earning the Great Northern Conference volleyball championship Oct. 22 with a sweep at Marquette, Kingsford is looking for more as it prepares for the Division 2 District Tournament next week in Escanaba.
The Flivvers’ 3-0 defeat of the Sentinels 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-15) in their regular-season finale earned Kingsford its fourth-consecutive undefeated GNC finish.
“There was a little pressure coming into this match,” 11th-year coach Jaclynn Kreider said. “We wanted to be four-time undefeated conference champions. The kids take a lot of pride in the work that we do.”
Kreider says the Flivvers had to do things differently from the past to achieve their success this fall.
“We had to run a different offense, which can be extremely challenging, but the girls have found a way to win” she added. “This is something I haven’t seen in all the years I’ve been coaching. We’ve had success. We have a pretty strong coaching staff that works with the girls, and they bought into that.”
As is the case with most teams, the Flivvers hit a few bumps in the road during the season.
They bowed to Calumet in four sets at home Sept. 10 and dropped a pair of matches at the Cadillac Invitational on Oct. 10.
Kingsford, however, defeated Calumet in three sets at Crystal Falls Forest Park on Oct. 17. The Flivvers also defeated the host Trojans in three and Marquette in two sets that day at the “Clash of the Divisions” quad.
“We had beaten Marquette twice before the meet at Forest Park,” sophomore Mckynzee Kreider said. “It’s hard beating the same team three times. Calumet is pretty young this year, and Forest Park is pretty good. We’ve been working on defense and serve-receives, which is probably the hardest thing to master in volleyball.”
“We brought a few kids we used in a different tournament to Forest Park,” Coach Kreider added. “We went with a different lineup. We’re trying to find the best lineup. It’s nice to know we have different options.”
The Flivvers, who are off this week, are 22-3 going into the postseason. They will host the winner of Monday's District-opening match between Negaunee (20-13-1) and Gladstone (15-13-3) at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“Winning the GNC was a very good accomplishment. That was a starting point, knowing we have the potential to go far if we do our part,” Kingsford senior Mylee Kreider said. “Our shot selection has improved. We’re playing as a team.”
Escanaba (6-16-3) hosts Houghton (12-8) on the opposite side of the bracket Wednesday at 6 p.m. The championship match will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Escanaba District champion will meet the winner of the Sault Ste. Marie District in a Regional opener Nov. 10 at Manistique.
Kingsford won its District last season before falling to Ogemaw Heights in a Regional Semifinal to finish 22-3.
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.
(Photo courtesy of Breitung Township Schools.)
Eagles End Phenomenal Fall as Repeat Champ
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2019
BATTLE CREEK – Tiffannie Gates couldn’t hold back the tears Saturday.
The Grand Rapids Christian volleyball coach had just watched her team win a second-straight Division 2 title, sweeping Lake Odessa Lakewood 25-21, 25-15, 25-16, which is emotional enough. She also had just finished her last game as coach of her daughter, Jordyn, who shined in her final game as an Eagle.
“It’s really bittersweet right now to think I’m done coaching her,” Tiffannie Gates said. “You couldn’t ask for a better ending. It’s been pretty neat.”
The Grand Rapids Christian program closed out an incredible run with another dominant showing at Kellogg Arena, sweeping the No. 2 team in the Final for the second straight year. The top-ranked Eagles actually swept both matches at Kellogg, also just like a year ago – defeating Kingsley in the Semifinal – and finished 46-3, dropping just 10 sets all season.
All while carrying around the target that comes with being the reigning champion.
“Every team came to play against us,” junior outside hitter Addison VanderWeide said. “No matter who they were, they came to play their best volleyball. We definitely felt that, but we were able to push through and stay on top.”
At the center of it was Jordyn, a Miss Volleyball finalist who will play at Arkansas next season. The 5-foot-10 senior setter came into the weekend with more than 1,000 assists on the season, and finished Saturday’s match with 39 assists, 13 digs and six kills.
For her, it was also a bittersweet moment.
“It was really emotional this morning, last time ever being coached by her,” Jordyn said. “She’s my biggest inspiration. Being able to play for her and having her coaching me and pushing me every single day. Even today she was still telling me things I needed to work on. It never stopped. She’s definitely my biggest inspiration, so it’s been awesome sharing this journey with her.”
Jordyn spread the ball around enough to keep Lakewood off balance Saturday night, as Ayva Kooistra and Evelyn Doezema each had six kills. But it was clear that VanderWeide was her main target, and she came through in a big way. VanderWeide had 28 kills on 55 attack attempts for a .436 attack percentage.
“I even knew before we even showed up that she was going to have the game of her life,” Jordyn said. “She was fired up and I knew to just dish the ball to Addi, she’s the girl on fire. Keep dishing it to her no matter what, she’s who we have to dish it to, and she was unstoppable tonight. I’m so proud of her.”
Lakewood (40-13) did come out strong, building a 13-9 lead in the first set. But Grand Rapids Christian responded to close out the set before controlling much of the rest of the match.
“Our strength this year has just been playing very evenly – not getting too high or too low,” Tiffannie Gates said. “I just said, ‘You know what, you’re fine. We’re just going to go out there and play defense and serve tough and pass well and focus on your game, one point at a time.’ That’s been our motto all season, one point at a time. Don’t project, ‘What if we don’t win? We’re supposed to win.’ So we’re really trying to focus on the one point at a time.”
Tiffannie Gates said the goal for the Eagles coming into the match was to try and slow down the O’Gorman sisters. While they did have some success, the plan worked for the most part. Aubrey O’Gorman led Lakewood with 11 kills on the night, while Maradith O’Gorman had 10 kills and 10 digs. Skylar Bump added 25 assists for the Vikings.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids Christian’s Addison VanderWeide (14) launches a kill attempt during Saturday’s Division 2 Final. (Middle) Evelyn Doezema tips the ball over the block of Lakewood’s Jaizah Pyle.