Gabriel Richard Makes Name, Earns Renown
By
Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
October 22, 2015
By Chip Mundy
Special for Second Half
ANN ARBOR – It was early in the volleyball season when Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard went to the Novi Invitational as the only Class B team in a talent-rich tournament full of highly-ranked Class A teams.
“We really hadn’t made a name for ourselves yet,” Fighting Irish junior setter Emma Nowak said, “and I don’t think any of us expected to win it because we knew of the talent on the other teams that were there.”
Gabriel Richard pulled off the shocker, winning all six matches without losing a set. Among the victims was host Novi, the top-ranked team in Class A then and also in the latest ranking.
Gabriel Richard had made a name for itself: Novi tournament champion. The Fighting Irish added more names as the season progressed: No. 1-ranked team in Class B and only undefeated team remaining in the state.
However, at 33-0, the name that everyone at Gabriel Richard wants is Class B champion, something the Fighting Irish have not done in volleyball since winning the 1991 Class D title. But nobody expects it to be easy.
“I think there are a lot of expectations of us to go to states and win, and I would be upset if we didn’t get that far,” senior middle blocker Sydney Burton said, “but I would still be happy that we got this far without losing after beating some of the best Class A schools.”
Turning point
Gabriel Richard has not been a perennial power statewide in volleyball until recently. The Fighting Irish took a huge step forward last year when it won its first Class B Regional title since 1994, and the fashion in which they did it made it all the more impressive.
In the Regional Semifinal, Gabriel Richard defeated New Boston Huron, which had eliminated the Fighting Irish rather easily at the Novi Invitational two months earlier. Then, Gabriel Richard had to face Chelsea, which had easily defeated the Fighting Irish three times earlier in the season.
The run ended in the MHSAA Quarterfinals, but the performance in the Regional certainly was a turning point for the program.
“I would say the Regional was a key,” Gabriel Richard coach Mayssa Bazzi said. “It was a tremendous confidence-builder, but not having been to the state tournament before, last year the girls seemed a little shell-shocked.
“I don’t think we performed, but I do think the Regional definitely was a kick start to this year.”
Something to build on
Although Gabriel Richard had its best season since 1994 last year, Bazzi felt the team had underachieved.
“I believed we had this talent last year,” she said. “We saw the level of talent on the team, and we felt at times they were underachieving.
“It’s just a matter of this year we have the confidence to make it happen.”
The only real way to gain confidence is by being successful, and everything came together at Novi on Sept. 12. Nineteen Class A teams and one Class B team does not offer much hope for the lone Class B competitor.
“It was a tournament we went into believing we would do well,” Bazzi said. “This was our third year going, and every year we did a little better. We made it to the Gold playoffs every year but got knocked out in the first round, and this year something happened to the girls in the playoffs.”
In pool play, Gabriel Richard defeated Livonia Stevenson, Clarkston and Canton in straight sets, earning a match with strong Birmingham Seaholm in the quarterfinals. The Fighting Irish advanced with a 25-14, 26-24-victory.
“None of us expected to win it, but once we won our three pool play games and we beat Seaholm in our first bracket-play game, we had belief that we could win,” Nowak said.
That set up a match with top-ranked Novi, the Class A runner-up in 2014, and Gabriel Richard had little trouble in a 25-16, 25-15 victory. Lake Orion, another highly-ranked team, was next in the championship match, and the Fighting Irish scored a 25-22, 25-21 victory.
At that point, the season changed dramatically.
“I did not think that we were going to win because they were all Class A schools, and we’re a Class B school,” senior defensive specialist Sarah Brooks said. “But once we won, I was like, ‘This team is going to go really far together.’ ”
Senior leadership
The recipe for success – at least according to some of the players – is almost as simple as they have made the season appear. A close, tight team with solid senior leadership has provided an atmosphere for the players to realize their potential.
“We all come from different backgrounds,” senior libero Rachel Dunlavy said. “My freshmen and sophomore year, I felt like the varsity team had a lot of cliques on the team – the team was really divided – and last year and this year we’ve had a lot of team unity, and I think that’s because some of the captains we’ve had have tried to bring that together.”
Senior Emily Tanski, the team’s top performer and one of 10 finalists for Miss Volleyball in Michigan, had similar feelings.
“Our closeness is the key,” she said. “We’re able to take each other’s constructive criticism, and also, in the halls in school we’re all like, ‘This is our family,’ and we don’t leave people out.
“The new sophomores on the team are part of us now, and we’re shaping them to be how we want them to be when the seniors are gone.”
Tanski is one of three Gabriel Richard players headed east to play on the collegiate level. She has agreed to play at the University of New Hampshire, while Burton is headed for Northwest Missouri State and Dunlavy is bound for Stonehill College in Massachusetts.
Tanski is a three-time Class B all-state selection while at Gabriel Richard, making first-team last year after being a third-team selection as a sophomore and earning honorable mention as a freshman.
“She is easily our best all-around player,” Bazzi said. “She brings the experience of having played at a high level for a long time. I know the girls look at her as a leader, and she has a calming effect on the team.
“As long as we get that great pass, and Emily gets set up, she is hitting close to .400 this season.”
Missing piece
Last year, Gabriel Richard had a pressing issue: It did not have a setter in place to take over for its setter who had graduated in 2014. So Bazzi turned to Nowak, who had never been a setter during her short playing career.
It was a gamble in more ways than one.
“We needed somebody desperately,” Bazzi said. “I just looked at the girls who were in the program and felt she was one of our best athletes, and I said, ‘You either learn to set and you will get playing time, or you can continue to fight for a hitting position, and you might find yourself on the bench a lot.’
“She’s a kid who wants to be on the court and will be upset if she’s not on the court, but there was a little bit of resistance.”
Nowak said the resistance was more a concern that she would not be able to do the job effectively.
“My initial reaction was, ‘I don’t know how I will do at this position but the team needs a setter and I want to play, so if the team needs a setter, I’ll be the setter,’ ” Nowak said.
And now, she is successful and happy as the team setter.
“It’s really nice to have a part in every play in the game,” she said. “I love it.”
And it helps to have players like Tanski and junior Jurnee Tipton – a potential Miss Volleyball nominee in 2016, according to Bazzi – ready to turn those sets into kills.
“It’s amazing,” Nowak said. “Even if I struggle some games with my sets, they’re just all so talented that they make up for it. They’re awesome.”
Targeted team
Being the lone undefeated team in the state comes with some challenges. One of them is facing the other team’s “A” game every night. It is something very real for the Fighting Irish and something they had not experienced in previous seasons.
“At the Novi tournament, I felt like a lot of teams didn’t expect us to come out that strong, so we kind of took them by surprise,” Burton said.
That all changed last weekend in the strong Beast of the East tournament, which Gabriel Richard won by again beating some of the top Class A teams in the state.
“At Beast of the East, I felt like we had a big target on our back,” Burton said.
The Beast of the East was more grueling than Novi as the Fighting Irish had to play 17 sets over a 12-hour span. On the way to winning the championship, the Fighting Irish knocked off rated teams like Birmingham Seaholm, Lake Orion and Grand Rapids Christian. And, unlike the Novi tournament, Gabriel Richard had to rally to win some matches after losing the first set in a best-of-three.
Bazzi said those tough matches will prove beneficial to her team down the road.
“It was more difficult than Novi, but the girls got it done,” she said. “We had some teams that really pushed us, and we needed it. We played three teams where we dropped the first set, and tournaments it’s best of three. Our team, maybe for the fourth time this season, came back from a major deficit to win.
“I believe these tight matches will give us what we need to help us make it to where we should.”
In the championship match against Grand Rapids Christian, the Fighting Irish squeezed out a pair of two-point victories to win the sets.
“We had played a lot of matches, and it was late,” Tanski said. “I think how we played in that last game, strong and hard, and how we continued to play that way was something I will remember.
“That final match was an emotional battle, and that will stick with me.”
Wednesday night, Gabriel Richard earned a spot in the championship match of the Detroit Catholic High School League. The Fighting Irish will play Pontiac Notre Dame Prep on Monday at Madonna University.
It is a chance to add another name to the growing list.
“I think we have the total package,” Bazzi said. “Our defense is great, but I would not say we have the best defense in the state. Our setter works her tail off, but she’s not the best setter. I would say she’s in the top 10 setters in the state.
“We have hitters who are great, Emily and Jurnee. They are our main go-to hitters, but we have other girls in our front line who help take the pressure off of them.”
Bazzi and her assistant coach, Ashley Williams, said as great as this season has been, working with the players has been even greater. And they know something about team togetherness: They were teammates while playing at Wayne State University more than 10 years ago.
“The wins are awesome, but they’re just great girls,” Bazzi said. “They’re wholesome, smart, loving, great, great kids, great teammates, very respectful. They have fun on the court. The girls are good girls.”
They also are unbeaten girls. Top-ranked girls. Tournament championship girls.
Yes, they certainly have made names for themselves. And they are hoping to add the biggest one of all: Class B state championship girls.
Chip Mundy served as sports editor at the Brooklyn Exponent and Albion Recorder from 1980-86, and then as a reporter and later copy editor at the Jackson Citizen-Patriot from 1986-2011. He also co-authored Michigan Sports Trivia. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard volleyball players celebrate during a match earlier this season. (Middle) Sydney Burton (11) and Jurnee Tipton put up a block against Farmington Hills Mercy. (Middle below) Emily Tanski drives a kill past two Mercy blockers. (Below) Gabriel Richard's varsity line-up. (Photos and video below courtesy of Gabriel Richard volleyball.)
Preview: Top-Ranked Aiming to Finish #1
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 20, 2019
State poll voters have been right on with their favorites for this weekend's MHSAA Volleyball Finals at Battle Creek's Kellogg Arena, as all four top-ranked teams will be making the trip.
What's more, Division 1 No. 1 Farmington Hills Mercy is one of seven contenders this weekend seeking to finish as a Finals champion for the first time.
Below is this weekend’s schedule:
Division 1 Semifinals – Thursday
Lake Orion vs. Lowell, 4:30 p.m.
Ann Arbor Skyline vs. Farmington Hills Mercy, 6:30 p.m.
Division 2 Semifinals - Friday
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 4:30 p.m.
Kingsley vs. Grand Rapids Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Division 3 Semifinals – Friday
Saginaw Valley Lutheran vs. Schoolcraft, Noon
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central vs. Beaverton, 2 p.m.
Division 4 Semifinals - Thursday
Mendon vs. Southfield Christian, Noon
Rudyard vs. Leland, 2 p.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1, 2 p.m.
Division 2, 4 p.m.
Division 3, Noon
Division 4, 10 a.m.
Click for links to all results from this season’s tournament plus ticket information and details on live broadcasts of all 12 matches this weekend on MHSAA.tv and MHSAANetwork.com. Below is a glance at all 16 contenders, with statistics through last week's Regional Finals unless noted.
Division 1
ANN ARBOR SKYLINE
Record/rank: 54-8, unranked
Coach: Chris Cristian, third season (111-31-6)
League finish: First in Southeastern Conference Red
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-0 over honorable mention Novi in Regional Final, 3-0 (District Final) 3-0, 2-0 and 2-1 over honorable mention Saline, 2-0 over honorable mention Brighton, 2-0 over honorable mention Oxford.
Players to watch: Kendall Murray, 6-2 sr. OH (656 kills, .420 kill %, 367 digs); Harper Murray, 6-1 fr. OH (657 kills, .492 kill %, 151 aces, 446 digs); Stacie Warner, 5-5 sr. S (1,297 assists, 74 aces).
Finals forecast: Skyline won its first Regional title last week powered by a Miss Volleyball finalist in Kendall Murray and a star just getting started on her high school career in Harper Murray. The Eagles haven’t dropped a set during the MHSAA Tournament, nor in 12 of their last 13 matches. Skyline also has defeated a number of top teams from other divisions, including Division 2 honorable mention Ida, Division 3 No. 4 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, No. 3 Kalamazoo Christian and No. 10 Saginaw Valley Lutheran; and Division 4 No. 3 Battle Creek St. Philip and No. 4 Southfield Christian. Kendall Murray will continue her career at University of Michigan.
FARMINGTON HILLS MERCY
Record/rank: 56-1, No. 1
Coach: Loretta Vogel, 11th season (record N/A)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Class A runner-up 2010.
Best wins: 3-2 (Regional Semifinal), 3-0, 2-0, 3-0 and 3-0 over No. 7 Bloomfield Hills Marian; 2-1 over No. 3 Mattawan, 2-0 over No. 2 Lowell, 2-0, 2-1 and 3-0 over No. 9 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek; 2-0 over No. 10 Bloomfield Hills, 2-0, 2-0, 2-0 and 2-0 over honorable mention Saline; 2-0 over honorable mention Novi, 2-0 and 2-0 over honorable mention Oxford, 2-0 over honorable mention Brighton, 2-0 over Ann Arbor Skyline.
Players to watch: Jess Mruzik, 6-2 sr. OH (415 kills, .534 hitting %); Julia Bishop, 6-0 jr. S (1,459 assists, 75 aces, 288 digs); Ellen Tisko, 6-2 jr. MB (340 kills, .500 hitting %, 68.5 blocks); Charli Atiemo, 6-1 jr. MB (398 kills, .506 hitting %, 85 blocks).
Finals forecast: Mercy and Miss Volleyball winner Mruzik will attempt to win Vogel her first MHSAA Finals championship over more than four decades of coaching that has included bringing nine teams to at least the Semifinals, including last year’s team – which fell to eventual champion Lake Orion in a five-set semi. Mruzik, who also will continue at U-M, spent the beginning of the season playing for the U.S. U-18 national team in Egypt, and yet Mercy lost this season only to Lowell (while Mruzik was away). Bishop also made the all-state first team last season, while Atiemo made the third.
LAKE ORION
Record/rank: 39-15-2, honorable mention
Coach: Tony Scavarda, sixth season (317-63-5)
League finish: Third in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2018, Class A runner-up 2011.
Best wins: 3-2 over No. 9 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek in Regional Semifinal, 3-2 (District Final) and 3-0 over honorable mention Oxford, 3-1 (District Quarterfinal) and 2-0 over No. 6 Clarkston, 2-0 over honorable mention Brighton, 2-0 over honorable mention Saline, 2-0 over Ann Arbor Skyline.
Players to watch: Nina Horning, 6-2 fr. OH (394 kills, 107 aces); Lauren Staruch, 6-0 jr. OH (361 kills, 61 blocks); Reagan Goeke, 6-2 jr. MH (201 kills, .337 hitting %, 167 blocks).
Finals forecast: Lake Orion is 9-0-2 over its last 11 matches and defeated two top-10 teams on the way back to Battle Creek. Junior middle Kendall Robertson (250 kills, .331 hitting %) started last season’s championship match against Rockford but is the only player on this year’s roster to see the floor that day, making the Dragons’ return even more impressive. Kylie Andras (559 assists) and sophomore Jaina Macaulay (623) have split much of the setting, with Andras one of only three seniors on the team.
LOWELL
Record/rank: 54-3, No. 2
Coach: Jordan Drake, second season (92-7-2)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference White
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-1 (Quarterfinal) and 2-1 over No. 3 Mattawan, 3-1 (Regional Final) and 2-0 over No. 4 Hudsonville, 3-0 (Regional Semifinal) and 2-0 over No. 5 Byron Center, 3-0 (District Final) and 3-1 over honorable mention Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 2-0 over No. 7 Bloomfield Hills Marian, 2-0 over No. 10 Bloomfield Hills, 2-0 over No. 1 Farmington Hills Mercy, 2-0 over No. 8 Grand Haven, 2-0 over honorable mention Novi, 2-0 and 2-0 over honorable mention Lake Orion, 2-0 over Division 2 No. 1 Grand Rapids Christian.
Players to watch: Sophia Powell, 5-8 jr. S (1,446 assists, .390 hitting %); Jenna Reitsma, 5-11 jr. OH (795 kills, .357 hitting %, 82 aces, 379 digs); Meghan Meyer, 6-1 sr. MH/RH (438 kills, .381 hitting %, 76 blocks).
Finals forecast: Lowell’s longest tournament run has included its first Regional title won last week and has seen the Red Arrows eliminate top-10 teams in three straight matches. Total, Lowell has defeated seven of the final top 10 in Division 1, plus the top-ranked teams in Division 2 (Grand Rapids Christian) and 3 (Schoolcraft). The Red Arrows have dropped only 14 sets this season including four to Hudsonville over two losses before avenging those defeats at the Regional. Reitsma made the all-state second team last season, and Meyer made the third team.
Division 2
GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 44-3, No. 1
Coach: Tiffannie Gates, ninth season (424-82)
League finish: First in O-K Gold
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2018.
Best wins: 3-0 over No. 4 Hamilton in Quarterfinal, 3-2 over No. 3 Coopersville in Regional Final, 2-0 over No. 8 Detroit Country Day, 2-0 over No. 9 Holland Christian, 3-0 and 2-0 over Division 1 No. 5 Byron Center, 2-0 over Division 1 No. 3 Mattawan, 2-0 over Division 1 No. 4 Hudsonville, 2-0 and 2-0 over Division 3 No. 1 Schoolcraft.
Players to watch: Jordyn Gates, 5-10 sr. S (1,099 assists, .309 hitting %, 378 digs); Addison VanderWeide, 6-0 jr. OH (495 kills, .305 hitting %, 59 aces, 345 digs); Evelyn Doezema, 6-3 soph. OH (326 kills, 63 blocks).
Finals forecast: Grand Rapids Christian rolled to its first championship last season with a pair of sweeps at Kellogg, and has just kept marching. The Eagles’ only losses this fall were to Division 1 Lowell and Hudsonville (twice), and they’ve dropped only 10 sets all season. Senior middle Ayva Kooistra (195 kills) joined Jordyn Gates, Doezema and VanderWeide in the starting lineup for last season’s Final, and junior libero Lauren Peal and junior defensive specialist Elizabeth Rupp both saw time in the championship match. Gates and VanderWeide both made the all-state first team in 2018, and Gates was a Miss Volleyball finalist this fall and will continue her career at Arkansas.
LAKE ODESSA LAKEWOOD
Record/rank: 39-12, No. 2
Coach: Cameron Rowland, second season (85-21-2)
League finish: First in Greater Lansing Activities Conference
Championship history: Class B champion 2012, four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 3-0 over honorable mention Ida in Quarterfinal, 3-2 over No. 7 Parma Western in Regional Final, 3-0 (Regional Final) and 2-0 over honorable mention Marshall, 2-1 over No. 9 Holland Christian, 2-1 over Division 3 No. 1 Schoolcraft.
Players to watch: Maradith O’Gorman, 6-2 soph. RS (506 kills, .361 hitting %, 86 aces, 360 digs); Aubrey O’Gorman, 6-3 jr. MB (480 kills, .424 hitting %, 151 blocks); Skylar Bump, 5-6 fr. S (1,209 assists, 88 aces).
Finals forecast: Lakewood has played in four championship matches over the last seven seasons, finishing Class B runner-up in 2014, 2016 and 2017. The Vikings fell to Grand Rapids Christian in last season’s Semifinal, and have won 10 of their last 11 matches heading back to Battle Creek. They’ll be prepared, thanks as well to impressive losses to Hudsonville, Lowell, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and Byron Center this fall. Maradith O’Gorman made the all-state first team last season as just a freshman, while Aubrey O’Gorman was selected as only a sophomore.
KINGSLEY
Record/rank: 58-7-3, No. 6
Coach: David Hall, 21st season (982-231-92)
League finish: First in Northwest Conference
Championship history: Class C runner-up 2004.
Best wins: 3-2 over honorable mention Cadillac in Regional Final, 2-0 over honorable mention Corunna, 3-0 and 2-0 over Division 4 No. 5 Leland, 2-0 over Division 3 No. 4 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, 2-0 and 2-0 over Division 3 honorable mention Traverse City St. Francis.
Players to watch: Brittany Bowman, 5-4 sr. OH (501 kills, 68 aces, 621 digs); Maddie Bies, 5-0 sr. S (1,489 assists, 343 digs); Austyn DeWeese, 6-2 sr. MH (529 kills, .397 hitting %, 143 blocks).
Finals forecast: Kingsley is returning to the Semifinals for the first time since that 2004 Class C run, and following a senior-laden lineup with five starters and the team’s libero all looking to finish their high school careers by making more history this weekend. The Stags can go to multiple scoring options, with senior outside hitter Sidny Hessem (458 kills) also making the most of many opportunities this fall. Kingsley has won 19 straight matches since taking a loss to Division 1 Temperance Bedford, and also saw Lake Orion and No. 3 Coopersville (the latter twice) in defeats.
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP
Record/rank: 48-10-2, No. 7
Coach: Betty A. Wroubel, 26th season (1,106-231-96)
League finish: Does not compete in a league.
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2017), Division 2 runner-up 2018.
Best wins: 3-0 over No. 8 Detroit Country Day in District Final, 2-0 over No. 10 Onsted, 2-0 over honorable mention Cadillac, 2-1 over Division 1 honorable mention Oxford, 2-0 over Division 4 No. 3 Battle Creek St. Philip, 2-0 over Division 3 No. 8 Centreville.
Players to watch: Aly Borellis, 5-10 soph. S/RS (564 kills, 96 blocks, 96 aces, 722 assists); Josie Bloom, 5-6 soph. DS/L (90 aces, 491 digs); Sophia Sudzina, 5-7 soph. S/OH (364 kills) (Only partial season stats available).
Finals forecast: Notre Dame Prep played in its second-straight MHSAA Final last fall, and appears the team to watch for the next two seasons too after making another run to finish this one. Borellis made the all-state third team last fall as just a freshman and has done some of everything for the Irish this fall. Bloom, senior middle Emily Mohr and sophomore middle Bianca Giglio also started in last year’s championship match, and junior libero Livy Kowalkowski played a significant role. Mohr (53 blocks, 60 aces) and middle Theresa Carrier (265 kills off the bench) are the team’s only seniors.
Division 3
BEAVERTON
Record/rank: 46-1-1, No. 7
Coach: Steve Evans, 11th season (332-154-4)
League finish: First in Jack Pine Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 2-1 over No. 5 Bronson, 3-0 over honorable mention Traverse City St. Francis in Quarterfinal, 2-0 over honorable mention Beal City, 2-0 over Freeland, 2-0 over Mount Pleasant, 2-1 over Division 4 honorable mention Saginaw Nouvel.
Players to watch: Molly Gerow, 5-9 jr. OH (631 kills, 369 digs); Mady Pahl, 5-7 jr. S (1,103 assists, 64 aces, 333 digs); Macie Jerome, 5-4 sr. L (83 aces, 584 digs).
Finals forecast: Beaverton has increased its win total every season over the last three and will play in its first Semifinal after winning its first Regional title last week. The team’s only loss this fall came to Freeland, a quarterfinalist in Division 2, and the Beavers later avenged that defeat and have dropped only eight sets all season. They come to Battle Creek on a 37-match winning streak with sweeps in 21 of their last 22. Gerow made the all-state third team last season, and Jerome and defensive specialist Averie Bassage are the team’s only seniors.
MONROE ST. MARY CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 48-2, No. 2
Coach: Karen O’Brien, fifth season (199-42-3)
League finish: First in Huron League
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 3-1 (Regional Final), 2-1 and 2-0 over No. 6 Brighton Charyl Stockwell Prep, 2-0 over No. 5 Bronson, 2-0 and 2-1 over Division 2 honorable mention Ida, 2-0 over Division 2 honorable mention Marshall, 2-0 over Division 4 No. 5 Leland, 2-1 over Ann Arbor Skyline.
Players to watch: Mikayla Haut, 5-11 jr. OH (446 kills, 73 aces, 75 blocks, 390 digs); Abbie Costlow, 5-10 jr. RS/OH (287 kills, .392 hitting %, 96 blocks); Sarah Reicker, 5-5 sr. S (835 assists, 50 aces).
Finals forecast: Monroe St. Mary is a pair of two-set losses to Division 1 No. 6 Clarkston and Division 2 No. 3 Coopersville from undefeated this fall as it returns to the Semifinals for the sixth time this decade and second-straight season. Haut, Costlow, junior outside hitter Anna Dean (327 kills) and senior right side Samantha Michael (191) all started in last year’s five-set Semifinal defeat to eventual champion Bronson, and Haut went on to make the all-state first team for the second time. Senior libero Payton Osborne had totaled a team-high 562 digs and 73 aces entering this week.
SAGINAW VALLEY LUTHERAN
Record/rank: 40-8-5, No. 10
Coach: Jon Frank, 13th season (476-224-65)
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference West
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 2-1 over honorable mention Beal City, 3-1 over Brown City in Regional Final, 2-1 over Freeland, 2-0 over Saginaw Swan Valley, 3-1 over Division 4 honorable mention Saginaw Nouvel, 2-0 over Division 4 honorable mention Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
Players to watch: Peyton Bartnikowski, 5-7 jr. OH (443 kills, 69 aces, 334 digs); Sydney Krause, 5-9 jr. S (1,123 assists); Carly Pomaville, 5-7 sr. MH (201 kills, 65 blocks).
Finals forecast: Valley Lutheran won its first Regional title since 2011 and is back at the Semifinals for the first time since 1983. The Chargers have had a lot of success at the local levels with four more league and three more District titles over the last five seasons, and they are taking the next steps with a mix of seniors and talented players who should have the team in contention again next season as well. Valley Lutheran faced a number of larger opponents throughout the fall and also earned a draw with No. 3 Kalamazoo Christian. Senior libero Kelsy Vittitow (61 aces, 646 digs) earned all-state honorable mention last season
SCHOOLCRAFT
Record/rank: 47-6-1, No. 1
Coach: Erin Onken, eighth season (319-95-15)
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Championship history: Class C champion 2008, runner-up 2014.
Best wins: 3-0 (Quarterfinal) and 2-0 over No. 4 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, 3-0 over No. 5 Bronson in Regional Semifinal, 3-0 (District Final), 3-0 and 2-0 over No. 3 Kalamazoo Christian, 2-0 over honorable mention Traverse City St. Francis, 2-1 over Division 1 No. 3 Mattawan, 2-0 over Division 1 No. 10 Bloomfield Hills, 2-0 over Division 1 honorable mention Lake Orion, 2-0 over Division 2 No. 2 Lake Odessa Lakewood, 2-0 over Division 2 No. 5 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 2-0 and 2-0 over Division 2 honorable mention Edwardsburg.
Players to watch: Andelyn Simkins, 5-10 sr. OH (692 kills, .505 hitting %, 84 aces, 490 digs); Kayla Onken, 5-8 jr. S (1,352 assists, 80 aces, 305 digs), Anna Schuppel, 6-1 jr. M (252 kills, .475 hitting %, 147 blocks); Maggie Morris, 6-0 jr. M (268 kills, .444 hitting %, 108 blocks).
Finals forecast: Schoolcraft has one of the most impressive sets of results in the state this fall, given that it’s a Division 3 school and has wins over three teams at Battle Creek in either Division 1 or 2 – not to mention against a number of other now-eliminated contenders. Simkins was a Miss Volleyball finalist and will continue next season at Western Michigan. But she and outside hitter Madi Ballett are the only senior starters, which should make next season one with high hopes as well. This will be the Eagles’ first Semifinal trip since the 2014 run, but they’ve stayed in the mix; they’ve won league titles every season under Erin Onken and District titles every season but one.
Division 4
LELAND
Record/rank: 43-14-3, No. 5
Coach: Laurie Glass, 25th season (1,006-296-95)
League finish: Second in Northwest Conference
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), seven runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 3-0 over No. 6 Merrill in Quarterfinal, 3-1 (Regional Final) and 2-0 over honorable mention Traverse City Christian, 2-0 over Division 3 honorable mention Traverse City St. Francis, 2-0 over Saginaw Swan Valley.
Players to watch: Olivia Lowe, 5-9 jr. OH (338 kills, 77 aces, 333 digs); Tatum Kareck, 5-8 jr. OH (338 kills, 83 aces, 364 digs); Jana Molby, 5-5 jr. S (757 assists, 62 aces).
Finals forecast: Leland is another regular at Kellogg Arena for the season’s final weekend, with this its sixth trip to the Semifinals over the last seven seasons. And there’s some additional intrigue this time, as every player on the roster is a junior except for freshman setter Alexis Luce. Kareck and 6-0 junior middle Sarah Elwell (250 kills, 91 blocks) were in the starting lineup for last season’s championship match, and junior libero Mia Osorio is a returning Division 4 all-state second teamer. Leland again loaded its schedule to prepare for this point. The Comets played only 13 Division 4 opponents before the playoffs and at one point stood 6-9-2 before locking in to win 37 of their next 43 matches.
MENDON
Record/rank: 38-9-6, No. 1
Coach: Heather Bowers, second season (87-15-9)
League finish: Second in Southwest 10 Conference
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2018).
Best wins: 3-1 over No. 2 Camden-Frontier in Quarterfinal, 3-0 over No. 3 Battle Creek St. Philip in Regional Final, 2-0 over Division 2 honorable mention Hopkins, 3-0 over Sturgis.
Players to watch: Anna Smith, 5-9 jr. OH (660 kills, .380 hitting %, 104 aces, 73 blocks, 304 digs); Taylor Heitkamp, 5-8 sr. MB (263 kills, 105 aces); Gracie Russell, 5-3 sr. S (1,224 assists, 276 digs).
Finals forecast: Mendon has lost just one set over six postseason matches despite facing the Nos. 2 and 3 teams over the last two rounds, and another championship would give former Hornets’ standout Bowers her second in two seasons to begin her head coaching career. Smith and junior middle Andrea Hoffman (210 kills, 71 blocks) are the only starters back from last season’s Final, but they’re significant. Smith made the all-state third team as a freshman before moving up to the first team last fall. Mendon did finish second in its league, but to Division 3 No. 8 Centreville.
RUDYARD
Record/rank: 35-4-3, No. 10
Coach: Ellen Perry, 27th season (630-414-155)
League finishes: First in Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference and second in Straits Area Conference
Championship history: Upper Peninsula Class A-B-C champion 1996, runner-up 1995 and 1997.
Best wins: 3-1 over honorable mention Carney-Nadeau in the Quarterfinal, 3-1 over Onaway in the Regional Final, 3-1 over Division 3 honorable mention Manistique.
Players to watch: Nina Alpers, 6-0 sr. MH (360 kills, 84 aces, 63 blocks, 318 digs); Sara Beelen, 5-9 jr. OH (251 kills, 546 digs, 116 aces); Brooklynn Besteman, 5-9 soph. M (222 kills, 75 aces).
Finals forecast: Rudyard won its first Regional title in 2017 and has taken the next step by earning its first Semifinal appearance despite graduating three players this spring who earned all-state recognition last year. (The Regional title and Semifinal berth are the first since the Upper and Lower Peninsulas joined for a combined MHSAA Tournament in 2000). The Bulldogs have lost just 19 sets this season and only two over five postseason matches. This is another team that could be in this mix for a few seasons; Alpers is the only senior. Junior Chesney Molina (603 assists) has handled most of the setting.
SOUTHFIELD CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 29-7-4, No. 4
Coach: Mike Van Dyke, ninth season (176-134-18)
League finish: Tied for first in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-0 (District Final), 3-0 and 3-0 over No. 9 Plymouth Christian Academy; 3-1 over No. 7 Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, 3-2 over Division 3 No. 6 Brighton Charyl Stockwell Prep, 3-0 and 3-0 over Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 2-0 over Detroit Cass Tech.
Players to watch: Emily Van Dyke