Future in Hand, Hudson Ace Aiming High
August 30, 2019
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
HUDSON – Callie Bauer likes to make pros and cons lists.
When the Hudson High School athlete began making a list of whether she should commit to Western Kentucky University on a volleyball scholarship offer, she couldn’t find any cons.
“There are literally no cons for Western,” she said. “It checks off all the boxes. There’s no place I’d rather be going. … It was the only place that gave me intense butterflies.”
Bauer is only a junior, so Western Kentucky will have to wait on her volleyball skills. For now, they are on display in southeast Michigan and the Lenawee County Athletic Association. And, those skills keep getting better. As a sophomore, she was a unanimous all-LCAA first-team selection, selected as the Lenawee County Player of the Year and made the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association’s Division 3 first-team all-state squad.
For the Tigers last season, Bauer had 712 kills and hit .396 on 1,353 attempts. She also had 446 digs and 415 assists. For Hudson, she’s known as a powerful outside hitter. In college, the 5-foot-11 Bauer expects to transition to setter.
“It’s sort of funny that around here people know her for hitting, but she’s going to college as a setter,” said her mother, Tricia Bauer. “Who knows? Maybe when she gets to Western Kentucky, they’ll see her as a hitter.”
Her mother, who played on Hanover-Horton’s Class C championship team in 1989, was Callie’s first volleyball coach. Callie started at the YMCA in Adrian as an 8-year-old.
“My mom definitely spurred it in me,” she said. “I think I just had a knack for it.”
As she improved in volleyball, so did her playing opportunities. She joined a Toledo, Ohio, club program for the offseason and eventually began playing with Impact Volleyball Club out of Fort Wayne, Ind. It takes nearly two hours to get to Fort Wayne for practice three nights a week, but it’s been a great experience, Bauer said.
“It’s pretty far to drive,” she said. “But, it’s the coaches, honestly. It’s a small club, just two teams. Everyone drives that far to be a part of it. I’m not the only one. The girls there are so good.”
Most of the drives from Hudson to Fort Wayne are with her mother. Last season Bauer also played basketball in the winter, which made for some hectic nights. After school, she’d go to basketball practice, then jump in the car and head to Fort Wayne for volleyball. On most of those nights, she’d get home after 11:30 p.m., shower and start all over the next day.
Club volleyball also has produced a lot of family time for the Bauers. This past club season, the family tagged along on trips to Chicago, Louisville, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Florida.
“It’s a great time to be together,” said her father, Jim Bauer. “We just get all packed in the car and drive. It’s a lot of good family time. You look forward to it.”
Jim Bauer played basketball at Hillsdale College before jumping right into coaching. Between his years at Pittsford and Morenci, he accumulated more than 200 wins. His 2014-15 Morenci team made it to the Breslin Center and played for the Class D championship. He stepped away from coaching basketball a couple of years ago to be sure he didn’t miss out on watching Callie play.
Being brought up in a house with two coaches has been a good experience, Callie said.
“When I first started, they would get on me more,” she said. “Now they are just supporters. I get my competitiveness from them. But, I’m hard enough on myself. I’m my own worst critic. They don’t need to be hard on me.”
It’s hard to find too much fault in Bauer’s game. This month she was named to an elite preseason All-American volleyball list.
“I was super happy about it and proud of it, but I kind of put it in the back of my mind,” she said.
Her dad said seeing her name on that list was special.
“I don’t think she realizes the magnitude of being on an ‘All-American’ list,” he said. “When I was a player, I couldn’t dream of making an All-American list. It’s amazing, really.”
Bauer isn’t worried about burning out of volleyball even though she plays year-round. When she feels herself getting to that point, she knows what to do.
“This past summer I had one of those experiences,” she said. “I was at a volleyball camp, where you eat and sleep volleyball the whole seven days. It was a lot. … When I get to that point, I take a step back and I don’t go into the gym for a week. I’ll go biking or painting or just do something else. I spend a lot of time doing volleyball, so I have to be careful.
“People ask me what I like to do in my free time, and I say, ‘free time?’”
Being committed to Western Kentucky – the second-winningest Division I program in the nation over the last 10 years – has taken some stress off Bauer’s shoulders.
“Now that I’m committed, club volleyball is less stressful for me. When you go to the tournaments, you see the college coaches on the sidelines and you think, ‘Oh boy, I hope they like me.’ Now that I have that secured and everything, I just play.
“I have a lot of work to do before I get there. I’m not going to step back. I’m probably going to get into the gym more now that I am committed. It’s a whole different mentality. It’s not so much just doing it for my high school team or club team or anything. I have something I can look to on the horizon. Two years from now I’m going to be playing against college teams. I’ve got to get ready. It’s another layer of motivation.”
Hudson is coming off a 38-win season but is younger this fall. As a two-year starter already, Bauer will be looked to by Tigers coach Shelly Hoard to be more of a leader.
“She’s continued to improve her game,” Hoard said. “She is definitely bringing a lot more leadership this year. She’s a great team member. Her whole understanding of the game, people’s roles and people’s capabilities and the opponent is better.
“She’s the real deal.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Hudson’s Callie Bauer, one of the state’s top juniors, fires a serve. (Middle) Bauer sets for a teammate during a match against Dundee. (Top photo by Matt Sisoler; middle courtesy of the Bauer family.)
Block Party: 2025 Girls Volleyball Week 7 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 8, 2025
With just more than three weeks left until the start of MHSAA District play, several teams are surging with the potential to peak when it matters most this season.
This week’s state polls voted on by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA) saw four teams enter their respective top 10s across the four divisions and a new No. 1 in Division 3 as Roscommon took back the top spot it yielded with the Sept. 9 rankings.
Expect more maneuvers to come as teams finish off league championship and tournament schedules and the last of this season’s Saturday showcases.
As always, records, results and schedules below are those posted for teams on MHSAA.com. Rankings reflect the latest polls posted by MIVCA, with last week’s referenced in “Week in Review” and this week’s referenced thereafter.
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Lowell d. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (25-15, 16-25, 15-9) The Red Arrows (23-7-2) – an honorable mention in Division 1 last week – finished 4-1-1 at the Jenison Tournament, losing early to Hudsonville and tying the host in two sets before finishing with three-set wins over Grand Rapids Christian and then No. 8 FHN (24-7-1).
2. Fowler d. Pewamo-Westphalia (21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21) The Division 4 No. 6 Eagles (18-5-1) took a major step in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference with this win over the Division 3 No. 5 Pirates (23-7-3).
3. Pewamo-Westphalia d. Plymouth Christian Academy (25-27, 25-18, 15-11) P-W headed to the Mt. Morris Tournament after suffering losses on successive days earlier in the week, but finished 5-0 on Saturday topped by this victory over No. 3 PCA (29-6-1).
4. Saginaw Swan Valley d. Frankenmuth (25-23, 28-26, 25-23) Coming off a five-set loss to Bay City John Glenn a week earlier, Swan Valley (18-9-1) stunned the Division 2 No. 10 Eagles (9-8-4) with this Tri-Valley Conference Red sweep by the leanest of margins.
5. Lake Odessa Lakewood d. Parma Western (25-23, 25-27, 25-22) Coming off six losses over its last seven matches, Lakewood (17-13-0) won a close one over Division 2 honorable mention Western (23-6-1) and also swept P-W at a home tri.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Hudsonville (20-6-1) The Eagles have jumped from the list of honorable mentions, moving up to No. 10 in the state rankings this week coming off a 4-1-1 run at the Jenison Tournament that included wins over then-No. 5 Jenison, now-No. 7 Lowell and Division 2 No. 3 Holland Christian. Hudsonville has played most of the best from the west side of the state, with the Lowell win avenging an early loss and a tie with Forest Hills Northern on Saturday also following an August defeat.
Utica Eisenhower (20-2-1) After reaching the Division 1 Quarterfinals last season – and winning the first set in that match before falling to Bloomfield Hills Marian – Eisenhower is building up to another potentially serious run. The Eagles have loaded the schedule, posting especially impressive wins over Lowell, Division 1 honorable mention Brighton and Division 2 No. 5 North Branch, and with losses to only Marian and Farmington Hills Mercy.
DIVISION 2
Edwardsburg (24-7-0) The Eddies have won 12 of their last 13 matches and moved up to No. 10 in the Division 2 rankings from honorable mention a week ago, coming off wins over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, West Bloomfield and Birch Run over the weekend. Their only loss during that time was a 2-1 defeat against Division 1 honorable mention Byron Center in the championship match of BC’s tournament two weeks ago. It’s been an excellent rebound off last season’s sub-.500 finish.
Otsego (20-10-5) The Bulldogs also lost more than they won a year ago but have bounced back nicely even while taking on several of then best from the west side of the state as well. A 5-0-1 run through the Portage Northern Invitational on Sept. 20 served some notice – it included a win over Plymouth Christian Academy – and Otsego came off a 0-1-2 weekend at the Battle Creek Lakeview mini tournament (facing three Division 1 opponents) with a five-set win over Vicksburg last Thursday.
DIVISION 3
Calumet (13-9-1) The Copper Kings are again part of a strong set of Upper Peninsula contenders, coming off a run to the Regional Finals a year ago, and they’ve already shown this season what they can do downstate as well. Calumet opened with a win over current Division 3 honorable mention McBain at the Cadillac Invitational and went 3-2-1 at the Division 3-4 Showdown two weeks ago most notably defeating Division 4 No. 2 Ubly. Four of the team’s losses have come to Wisconsin opponents, and a fifth came to Division 4 No. 8 Hancock – with the rematch set for Oct. 28.
Manton (23-9-0) The Rangers are holding steady among honorable mentions in Division 3 as they’ve won nine straight matches with a 6-0 run at the Lake City Invitational over the weekend followed by a 3-1 comeback win Tuesday over No. 10 Beal City. With a little bit of help from the Aggies against top-ranked Roscommon, Manton might still have a chance at a title share in the Highland Conference – and then will almost surely see No. 4 Kingsley for the third time this fall, in District play. Two losses to the Stags are among five total defeats to opponents getting votes in state polls this week.
DIVISION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (16-6-2) The Cougars moved into the Division 4 top 10 three weeks ago and sit No. 5 this week after defeating Erie Mason coming off tough losses to Division 3 No. 7 Hanover-Horton and Ottawa Lake Whiteford. Lenawee Christian has a nice set of wins over Division 2 opponents including from a 4-2 run at the Eaton Rapids Tournament where the two defeats actually came to Division 4 No. 2 Ubly and No. 4 Battle Creek St. Philip. The Cougars will play next month for a potential fifth-straight District title and also have won their Regionals three of the last four seasons.
St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (16-4-3) The Titans have played some of their toughest competition of the season over the last two weeks – losing twice to Division 2 Buchanan and once to Division 1 St. Joseph – but that’s sure to pay off once the postseason rolls around, and Michigan Lutheran also defeated Buchanan in the championship match at the Bridgman Invitational on Sept. 20. The only other loss came early to another solid Division 2 team in South Haven.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Wednesday – Farmington Hills Mercy (15-2-0) vs. Bloomfield Hills Marian (29-2-0) at Oakland University – the Division 1 No. 3 Marlins and No. 4 Mustangs will meet for the second time this season, this time for the Catholic High School League Bishop Tournament championship.
Wednesday – Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (18-2-1) at Milan (12-4-0) – Miland joined the Division 2 honorable mentions this week and defeated honorable mention Flat Rock on Monday on the way to facing the Division 3 No. 2 Kestrels (18-2-1) in Huron League play.
Thursday – Tecumseh quad – Battle Creek Lakeview (26-5-5) and Clinton (20-3-1) are among those scheduled to play at Division 2 No. 7 Tecumseh (30-1-0).
Saturday – Beast of the East at Trinity Health Sports Center in Livonia – The lineup is loaded with four top 10-ranked teams and three honorable mentions spread across six pools.
Saturday – Karen Abbott Memorial Invitational at Hanover-Horton – The Division 3 No. 7 Comets (21-1-1) host Division 2 honorable mention Parma Western (23-6-1) among others.
PHOTO East Grand Rapids (left) and Forest Hills Northern players meet at the net during a match Sept. 23. (Photo by MI Sports Photo.)