D2/3 Recap: Bronson edges St. Mary in 5

November 15, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

It would make sense that Bronson’s most important win to date this season would come in Thursday’s Division 3 Semifinal at Kellogg Arena.

It’s also fair to assume that the No. 2-ranked Vikings’ comeback 3-2 win over No. 1 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central will remain one of the program’s most memorable wins for years to come – regardless of whether Bronson adds to its streak of three straight MHSAA championships Saturday.

The Vikings will face No. 6 Unionville-Sebewaing in a noon championship match after twice coming back from one-set deficits against the Kestrels (45-4).

Bronson (57-6) won the fourth set Thursday 25-18 to even the match, and continued the breakaway 15-4 in the deciding set. Bronson had lost its only other match with St. Mary this season.

Junior Keona Salesman had a team-high 23 kills and team-best 26 digs for the Vikings, while sophomore Meagan Lasky had 47 assists.

Senior Abby Jackson had 28 digs to pace St. Mary, while sophomore Mikayla Haut had 18 kills and 18 digs and senior Jessica Long had 24 assists.

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Division 3: Unionville-Sebewaing 3, Traverse City St. Francis 1

USA (44-4-4) earned its first Finals berth by holding off a Gladiators comeback attempt after the No. 6 Patriots won the first two sets.

St. Francis (34-14) bounced back from a 26-24 loss in the second set with a 25-18 win in the third as it made only four errors in 35 attacks that game.

But USA came back with just two errors in 38 attacks in the deciding fourth in downing the Gladiators 25-21.

Senior Rylee Zimmer had 27 kills and 14 digs, and senior Nichole Schember had 38 assists for the Patriots.

Senior Molly Mirabelli led No. 8 St. Francis with 22 kills and 28 digs, and sophomore Hannah Sidorowicz had 38 assists.

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Division 2: Grand Rapids Christian 3, Lake Odessa Lakewood 0

Top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian (45-5) also will play in its first Final and for its first championship after sweeping the No. 3 Vikings, last season’s runner-up in the former Class B.

Sophomore Addie VanderWeide had 15 kills to lead the Eagles, and junior Jordyn Gates had 35 assists and three aces. Christian had a .349 kill percentage as a team.

Freshman Maradith O’Gorman had a team-high 10 kills for Lakewood, and sophomore Sophie Duits had 13 assists for the Vikings (46-8-2).

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Division 2: Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 3, Corunna 0

The reigning Class B champion Irish will play for the first Division 2 championship after ending the longest tournament run in Corunna’s history.

Recently-named Miss Volleyball Award winner Maddy Chinn had 17 kills and three blocks to lead the No. 2-ranked Fighting Irish (64-5). Senior Maria Famularo had 22 assists.

Junior Elizabeth Norris led honorable mention Corunna (50-7-5) with 14 kills, and senior Alexa Mort had 22 assists.

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PHOTO: Bronson celebrates during its comeback win over Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central on Thursday.

Flynn Continuing to Prove Unique Among State's Best, All-Time Mercy Greats

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

October 3, 2024

FARMINGTON HILLS — It’s easy to roll one’s eyes when saying the Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball program has a unique talent in senior setter Campbell Flynn – because, well, Mercy is a traditional powerhouse that ALWAYS seems to have great players.

Greater DetroitBut even for an accomplished program like Mercy, it will be nearly impossible to see another player like Flynn come through its halls anytime soon, if ever. 

Yes, it’s not often that a player is a member of the under-19 and under-21 U.S. national teams, committed to national powerhouse Nebraska and was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after helping lead her to the Division 1 championship.

But several tangible and intangible attributes make her truly exceptional.

For starters, she is a 6-foot-3 setter, which isn’t common. In high school – and maybe even for many college programs – that height would definitely qualify her as an outside hitter. 

“Setters are usually a little smaller,” Flynn said. “I always wanted to be a setter, even when I was little. I knew I was going to be pretty tall, but I didn’t know I’d be this tall. I thought I was going to be around 5-10. I just knew I always wanted to be a setter.”

Mercy head coach Loretta Vogel said that height is noticeable before Flynn even touches the ball. 

“She’s deceptively fast,” she said. “She’s 6-4 and she just moves. She just floats over the floor.”

In addition to her height, Flynn is a rarity among setters in that she’s also left-handed. 

“It helps (the team) with hitting over on two and dumping,” Flynn said. “That’s definitely an advantage.”

Flynn and her teammates enjoy a moment during their Semifinal win over Clarkston.Being tall and left-handed probably wouldn’t matter as much by themselves. But add the IQ and feel for the game that Campbell has developed since starting to play volleyball at age 5 — and subsequently at an elite national level — and it’s easy to see why she is so acclaimed.

“She has a great touch on the ball,” Vogel said. “Sort of like a quarterback and they know how to release it and do everything with the ball. Campbell is like that version for us in comparison. She understands the game very well. She’s very capable of reading the block and being able to give the ball to individuals who are open. Just that sense of the game helps tremendously.” 

In winning the Gatorade award as a junior, Flynn accumulated 533 assists, 137 digs and 124 kills even though she missed 15 matches. 

For those who were surprised that Mercy won the Division 1 title last year despite entering the playoffs unranked, consider the run coincided with Flynn becoming fully healthy.

She missed a good portion of last year’s regular season with a minor illness, but once she got healthy and was her dominant self, the Marlins never looked back. 

“We just got so much momentum and we played so much as a team at the end of the season,” Flynn said. “It was just carrying us through all the games. We weren’t afraid, and we were pretty confident even though we were underdogs.”

This fall, Flynn is still hungry for more despite already seemingly accomplishing it all in high school volleyball, and with that scholarship to Nebraska in tow. 

There might be a Miss Volleyball Award to win now that she’s a senior, and she’s still motivated to bring more team success to Mercy.

“I love my team this year,” she said. “Obviously, we are not the underdogs this season, but I feel we have a lot to prove. I’m really excited to prove to everyone that we can win another state title.”

Whether or not that happens in November, it won’t change the fact that when this season is over, even a powerhouse like Mercy will have a nearly impossible task to replace Flynn.

Keith DunlapKeith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Campbell Flynn (28) sets Farmington Hills Mercy’s attack during last season’s Division 1 championship win over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. (Middle) Flynn and her teammates enjoy a moment during their Semifinal win over Clarkston.