Leland's Glass Childress Inducted into National High School Hall of Fame
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 3, 2026
Alisha Glass Childress’ excellence on the volleyball court led to national championships at the college level, and Olympic medal and both playing and currently a coaching career in the professional ranks.
But even after achieving all of that greatness over the last two decades following her career at Leland High School, her experiences starring for the Comets in multiple sports continue to carry significant weight.
On June 29 in Salt Lake City, Childress became Michigan’s 11th inductee into the National High School Hall of Fame by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The video above was shown as an introduction before Childress was awarded her Hall of Fame plaque and medal during the induction ceremony.
She 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.
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.
Childress currently is serving as head coach of the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball after previously playing for the Pro Volleyball Federation's Vegas Thrill in 2024 and 2025 and in that league's first All-Star Match.
She previously served as a coach with Athletes Unlimited, 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 as an assistant for the gold medal-winning U.S. national team during the 2018 Pan American Cup.
Previous Michigan inductees to the National High School Hall of Fame
2024: Tyrone Wheatley, Dearborn Heights Robichaud - Watch
2022: John E. "Jack" Roberts, MHSAA - Watch
2016: Ken Beardslee, Vermontville Maple Valley - Watch
2011: Brad Van Pelt, Owosso
2007: Jim Johnson, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook
2005: Bob Wood, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett
2001: Richie Jordan, Fennville
2000: Diane Laffey, Warren Regina
1986: Lofton Greene, River Rouge
1983: Charles E. Forsythe, MHSAA
PHOTO Alisha Glass Childress stands for a photo with MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl during her NFHS Hall of Fame induction June 29. (Photo courtesy of the NFHS.)
Tecumseh Caps Winter Season with 'Day We Will Remember Forever'
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 22, 2025
EAST LANSING — Before Saturday’s Division 2 championship game against Grand Rapids West Catholic, the Tecumseh girls basketball team had two people for whom it was playing.
One was Bart Bartels, a beloved longtime coach in the community who died during the fall, weeks before practice started. Tecumseh has been honoring his memory all season.
The team also was playing for a fallen teammate. Junior Maddy VanBlack suffered a leg injury during Friday's Semifinal win over Frankenmuth and couldn’t play Saturday, which shortened the bench significantly.
“It was super hard and super emotional,” Tecumseh head coach Kristy Zajac said. “They fought through, and they battled through with six players tonight.”
Indeed they did, as Tecumseh captured its first Finals championship since 1974 with a 54-44 win over West Catholic.
Tecumseh finished the season 27-1, in the process making Bartels’ widow (who was in attendance), VanBlack and everyone else in the community it was playing for beyond proud.
“It’s going to be a day we will remember forever,” Zajac said.
Tecumseh built an early 14-point lead, but ultimately had to hang on for dear life against a hard-charging West Catholic team.
The Falcons whittled their deficit down all the way to 39-38 going into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get over the hump and take the lead or tie the game.
Leading 41-40, Tecumseh then took a 45-40 lead with 5:26 remaining after a layup by Addi Zajac.
She hit another big layup with 1:54 left to make it 49-44, and then Tecumseh got a stop and a rebound.
Following a couple of West Catholic fouls, senior Ashlyn Moorehead made a free throw to give Tecumseh a 50-44 lead with 1:10 remaining.
Tecumseh got another stop, and then junior Chloe Bullinger sank two free throws with just over 47 seconds remaining to give her team a 52-44 lead.
After a missed 3-pointer, Alli Zajac hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to seal the win.
Alli Zajac scored 14 points, and senior Makayla Schlorf and Bullinger both had 11 for Tecumseh. Addi Zajac had nine points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
“It’s amazing that we got it done,” said Alli Zajac, who has signed to play for Eastern Michigan. “Ashlyn and I have been working towards this since we were little freshmen starting. It’s amazing at the end of my career I get to accomplish something like this.”
Senior Anna Ignatoski had 12 points, and senior Elisha Dykstra added 10 points and four assists to lead West Catholic (24-4), which was making its fourth-straight final-four appearance. Freshman Kenley Slanger added eight points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore Alexis Asekomeh had nine points and three blocks.
The Falcons also were Division 2 runners-up in 2022.
“They’ve been here four years in a row, and that’s unheard of,” first-year West Catholic head coach Derek Paiz said. “I know they don’t feel it right now. But their legacy is going to last forever here at West Catholic.”
Not helping West Catholic’s cause was that it couldn’t buy a basket from 3-point range, going 2 of 21 from beyond the arc.
“They just hit a couple more shots,” Paiz said. “They shot 8 to 10 more free throws than us. They got to the rim a little more than us, and they won the rebound battle (38-33). Credit to them.”
This year’s Tecumseh’s team also will forever be etched in community lore, just like the 1974 championship squad.
“It was sad that this was our last game,” said Moorehead, who also had nine points and a team-high five assists. “But it’s nice to leave a legacy off with a state championship.”
PHOTOS (Top) Tecumseh’s Makayla Schlorf (3) gets a quick five from teammate Ashlyn Moorehead during Saturday’s Division 2 championship game. (Middle) West Catholic’s Katelyn Adams (13) works to get to the basket with Schlorf and Alli Zajac (1) defending. (Below) The Falcons’ Anna Ignatoski (3) defends against Tecumseh’s Ashlyn Moorehead. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)