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: Contenders Converging at Kellogg to Complete Storybook Seasons
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 15, 2023
This weekend’s Girls Volleyball Semifinals and Finals at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena have plenty of storylines for fans to follow – and almost assuredly won’t include a repeat of the snowstorm that blanketed last season’s championship rounds.
Six teams who braved the 2022 blizzard will be back this weekend, and among those six are four of the nine teams playing in pursuit of a first MHSAA Finals championship in this sport.
Reigning Division 2 champion North Branch will be back with almost the same lineup, joined by two more top-ranked teams – Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in Division 3 and Adrian Lenawee Christian in Division 4. Last season’s Division 1 runner-up Northville also is returning, along with 2022 Division 3 runner-up Kalamazoo Christian.
Four of this season’s 10 Miss Volleyball Award finalists will close the season at Kellogg, as will at least a few of the strongest contenders for the 2024 award.
Action begins Thursday with Division 2 and 3 Semifinals, with Divisions 1 and 4 on Friday and all four title matches Saturday.
All 12 matches will be broadcast on MHSAA.tv and (audio) MHSAANetwork.com. Find more information, including how to purchase tickets, on the Volleyball page.
This weekend’s schedule:
Division 1 – Friday
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern vs. Northville, 4:30 p.m.
Clarkston vs. Farmington Hills Mercy, 6:30 p.m.
Division 2 - Thursday
Milan vs. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 4:30 p.m.
North Branch vs. Grand Rapids Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Division 3 – Thursday
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central vs. Kalamazoo Christian, Noon
Cass City vs. Traverse City St. Francis, 2 p.m.
Division 4 – Friday
Adrian Lenawee Christian vs. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, Noon
Leland vs. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 2 p.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1, Noon
Division 2, 2:30 p.m.
Division 3, 4:30 p.m.
Division 4, 10 a.m.
Below is a glance at contenders in each division. (Statistics are through Regional Finals unless noted.)
Division 1
CLARKSTON
Record/rank: 34-3, No. 3
Coach: Ali Smith, third season (106-23-3)
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Cayla Cogan, 5-10 sr. OH (314 kills, .305 hitting %); Marlie Smith, 5-10 fr. OPP/S (310 kills, 255 assists, 69 aces, 268 digs); Emery Kuebler, 5-6 sr. S (756 assists).
Finals forecast: Clarkston is headed back to the Semifinals for the second time in four seasons after most recently making the trip in 2020, and the Wolves’ only losses this fall were to No. 2 Northville, No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Marian, and honorable mention Farmington Hills Mercy – their Semifinal opponent. Clarkston defeated Mercy twice as well, and lost only 15 games all season. Kuebler made the Division 1 all-state second team last season and sets to five hitters with at least 100 kills this fall. Cogan was a Miss Volleyball Award finalist and has committed to George Washington University, and senior libero Kiley Gallagher (400 digs, 128 assists, 52 aces) has signed with Oakland.
FARMINGTON HILLS MERCY
Record/rank: 30-15-3, honorable mention
Coach: Loretta Vogel, 15th season (record N/A)
League finish: Third in Detroit Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2019, Class A runner-up 2010.
Players to watch: Kate Kalczynski, 5-11 fr. OH (427 kills, 63 aces, 243 digs); Cree Hollier, 5-9 soph. MH (204 kills, .301 hitting %, 54 blocks); Campbell Flynn, 6-3 jr. S (466 assists, 107 kills, .432 hitting %).
Finals forecast: After splitting four regular-season matches with rival Marian, Mercy swept their Quarterfinal matchup to return to the Semifinals for the first time since the championship season of 2019. And the Marlins may just be getting started again, with only two seniors on the roster but three sophomores in the starting lineup. Flynn made the all-state first team last season and already has committed to national power Nebraska. Sophomore Maya Zarow entered the week with the second-most kills on the team at 212, with lone senior starter Angie Butler (163 kills, 200 digs) also in that mix. Vogel is in her 44th season total of coaching high school volleyball and has more than 1,100 victories.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN
Record/rank: 44-7-1, No. 5
Coach: Valerie Lurye, first season (20-2)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference White
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2002), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Elana Erickson, 5-10 sr. OH (626 kills, 67 aces, 463 digs); Kendall Hopewell, 6-1 sr. MB (356 kills, .340 hitting %, 66 blocks); Lexie Stotenbur, 5-10 soph. S (1,351 assists, 51 aces, 299 digs).
Finals forecast: Forest Hills Northern is making a repeat trip to Kellogg Arena after falling to eventual champion Marian in last year’s Semifinal. The Huskies graduated a Miss Volleyball finalist but return four starters from that lineup, including all-state second-teamers Erickson and Hopewell – Erickson was a Miss Volleyball finalist this fall and will continue at Western Michigan. FHN is 15-1 over its last 16 matches, the lone loss to Marian, and the Huskies avenged their two regular-season defeats to top-ranked Hudsonville with a 3-1 Regional Semifinal victory. They followed that with wins over No. 8 Byron Center and honorable mention Grand Haven to advance to this weekend.
NORTHVILLE
Record/rank: 49-2, No. 2
Coach: Sarah Lindstom, third season (145-11)
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West and overall
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2022.
Players to watch: Ella Craggs, 5-9 jr. S (1,116 assists, 61 blocks); Molly Reck, 5-10 jr. OH (453 kills); Avry Nelson, 6-3 sr. MB (314 kills, .352 hitting %, 93 blocks).
Finals forecast: Northville also graduated a Miss Volleyball finalist from last season’s team, but has five starters back after winning the first set before falling to Marian in four in the championship match. The only losses this season were to top-ranked Hudsonville and No. 7 Rockford, and Northville also defeated the Rams, and Marian, and downed No. 9 Temperance Bedford and honorable mentions Saline and South Lyon East on the way to Battle Creek. Craggs made the all-state second team and Nelson made the third last season, and several players have committed to play college volleyball including senior defensive specialist Ashlee Gnau, who has signed with Syracuse, and Craggs who has committed to Illinois State. Junior Mallory Reck is another major offensive contributor with 380 kills entering this week.
Division 2
GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 35-12-1, No. 2
Coach: Amy Huisken, second season (record N/A)
League finish: Fourth in O-K White
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2020, 2019 and 2018.
Players to watch: Grace Goodyke, 6-0 fr. OH (291 kills); Hanna Bredeweg, 5-8 sr. S/RH (149 kills, 394 assists, 53 blocks, 242 digs); Grace Spoelma, 5-7 sr. S/RH (148 kills, 402 assists). (Statistics include Quarterfinal.)
Finals forecast: The Eagles are headed back to the Semifinals after a season away, and Bredeweg and Spoelma also were top contributors as sophomores on the 2021 Semifinals team. Grand Rapids Christian defeated No. 4 Lake Odessa Lakewood and honorable mention Ada Forest Hills Eastern on the way to Kellogg this time. Six hitters have at least 100 kills, and junior libero Madison Peal has totaled 417 digs this fall.
GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 37-9-6, unranked
Coach: Megan Eversman, ninth season (259-130-19)
League finish: Second in O-K Blue
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Emma Tuttle, 5-11 sr. OH (378 kills, 62 blocks, 501 digs); Brooke Tietz, 6-0 sr. MB (417 kills, 128 blocks, 189 digs); Emma Arsulowicz, 5-4 jr. S (475 assists, 218 digs).
Finals forecast: West Catholic has followed up its first Regional championship won last season with its first trip to the Semifinals and is riding a 20-match winning streak. The Falcons have lost only seven sets during the 20-match run, including two in defeating honorable mention Ludington 3-2 in the Quarterfinal. Tuttle and Tietz have been the lead hitters, but Arsulowicz is one of four juniors total in the starting lineup. Five hitters have at least 125 kills, with 6-1 junior middle Mia Henne another key contributor with 211 and a team-high 130 blocks entering the week.
MILAN
Record/rank: 29-6-2, unranked
Coach: Makenna Slack, first season
League finish: Second in Huron League
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Courtney Nye, 5-7 sr. OH (352 kills, 260 digs); Malea Wourman, 5-7 jr. OH (294 kills, 206 digs); Madison Slack, 6-0 soph. S (864 assists, 235 digs).
Finals forecast: Makenna Slack was a four-year starter for Milan only a few seasons ago, graduating in 2020, and her first season leading the program has included the longest tournament run in Milan volleyball history. The Big Reds did reach the Regional Final last season, losing the Dearborn Divine Child, and followed up their first Regional title last week by defeating Divine Child in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal. They’ve swept eight of their last nine opponents, and three of their six losses came to teams playing this weekend (Monroe St. Mary twice and Lenawee Christian). Nye and middle Maria Stines (113 kills) both start and with defensive specialist Hailey Knox are the team’s only seniors.
NORTH BRANCH
Record/rank: 53-4-1, No. 1
Coach: Jim Fish, 24th season (1,325-223-52)
League finish: First in Blue Water Area Conference
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), five runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Adrienne Greschaw, 5-8 sr. S (1,216 assists); Hailey Green, 5-1 sr. L (481 digs, 60 aces); Clara Gyomory, 5-9 sr. RS (431 kills, .395 hitting %, 64 blocks).
Finals forecast: The reigning Division 2 champion, and 2021 runner-up, is absolutely loaded with five starters plus libero Green back from last season. Green and Greschaw were Miss Volleyball finalists this fall and joined by Gyomory on last year’s Division 2 all-state first team, while seniors Alana Deshetsky (445 kills, .301 hitting %, 89 aces) and Kaela Chingwa made the third team in 2022. Sophomore Aubree Deshetsky has been filling up the stat sheet too this season with 455 kills and 387 digs entering the week. The Broncos’ only losses were to Division 1 top-ranked Hudsonville, No. 4 Marian, Division 2 Division 5 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Chicago Marist, and they defeated No. 3 Marysville, No. 6 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and No. 7 Frankenmuth over their last three matches.
Division 3
CASS CITY
Record/rank: 34-6-5, No. 10
Coach: Amy Cuthrell, eighth season (166-46-12)
League finish: First in Greater Thumb Conference West
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Shelby Ignash, 6-0 jr. M/DS (469 kills, 93 blocks, 334 digs); Kacee Gray, 5-7 jr. OH/DS (424 kills, 340 digs); Isabelle Phillips, 5-6 jr. S (968 assists, 58 aces).
Finals forecast: Four of six starters are back from the Cass City team that reached the Semifinals a year ago, with the three listed above joined by senior Josie Spencer – the only senior on the team. Ignash made the all-state first team last season, and Gray earned an honorable mention, and they’ve been the top hitters as the Red Hawks have put together a postseason run of four shutouts and a 3-1 win over No. 8 Saginaw Valley Lutheran in the Quarterfinal. Spencer (340 digs, 189 kills) remains a key part of the lineup. Cass City is 12-0-2 over its last 14 matches and had an early split this fall with Kalamazoo Christian.
KALAMAZOO CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 41-6-3, No. 4
Coach: Carlie Southland, second season (79-12-6)
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2022, Lower Peninsula Class C-D runner-up 1976.
Players to watch: Holland DeVries, 5-9 sr. OH (343 kills, 82 aces, 390 digs); Makenna Ekkens, 5-6 sr. OH (352 kills, 93 aces, 509 digs); Lola Stecker, 5-6 sr. S (931 assists, 165 kills).
Finals forecast: Kalamazoo Christian is another repeat Semifinals qualifier and finished Division 3 runner-up last season, losing in four sets to Pewamo-Westphalia – which the Comets defeated Tuesday to advance this time. DeVries made the all-state second team and Ekkens made the third a year ago, and they are joined by three more returning starters from the 2022 championship match – Stecker, junior right-side hitter Annelise DeJong (247 kills) and senior middle Mackenzie Ash (161 kills). Kalamazoo Christian hasn’t lost a set over five postseason matches and has won 17 of its last 18 matches total.
MONROE ST. MARY CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 33-8-1, No. 1
Coach: Cassandra Haut, third season (109-25-1)
League finish: First in Huron League
Championship history: Seven MHSAA titles (most recent 2020), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Madeline Dettling, 6-0 soph. OH (299 kills); Jessica Costlow, 5-11 jr. OH (408 kills, .353 hitting %, 496 digs); McKenna Payne, 5-7 jr. S (781 assists, 365 digs).
Finals forecast: SMCC has fallen to the eventual Division 3 champion the last two years, and after ending in the Quarterfinals a year ago is back at the Semifinals for the fourth time over the last five seasons. The Kestrels have swept all five of their playoff opponents, including No. 3 Plymouth Christian Academy on Tuesday, and seen most of the best in the state regardless of division with regular-season wins over Mercy, Milan, Marian, Lakewood and Bedford among others. Costlow and Payne made the all-state first team last season, and Dettling made the third team. They are joined in the starting lineup by three seniors who all had at least 120 kills entering the week. Payne has committed to sign with Utah, and Costlow has committed to Toledo.
TRAVERSE CITY ST. FRANCIS
Record/rank: 37-9-1, No. 5
Coach: Kathleen Nance, fifth season (140-67-7)
League finish: First in Lake Michigan Conference
Championship history: Class C runner-up 2012.
Players to watch: Reese Jones, 5-4 soph. S (704 assists, 74 aces, 294 digs); Garnet Mullet, 5-9 sr. OH (333 kills, 91 aces, 357 digs); Avery Nance, 5-4 jr. L (98 aces, 539 digs).
Finals forecast: St. Francis is returning to the Semifinals for the first time since 2018 after defeating No. 7 Calumet and honorable mention Shelby along the way. The Gladiators have won 16 of their last 17 matches, with a loss to Division 1 Traverse City Central the only one during that run. Avery Nance made the all-state third team last season and Mullet earned an honorable mention, and the latter is the team’s only senior as the roster is filled out by four juniors and seven sophomores. Sophomores Quinn Yenshaw (346 kills) and Claire Hurley (277) are two more key hitters, and junior Tessa Konas (504 assists) has led the attack as well. Kathleen Nance formerly coached Central for four seasons and was a two-time state champion player growing up in Oklahoma.
Division 4
ADRIAN LENAWEE CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 46-5-1, No. 1
Coach: Tenille Marowelli, first season (46-5-1)
League finish: First in Tri-County Conference
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2004), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Gabby Bryja, 5-4 sr. S (1,326 assists, 69 aces, 435 digs); Sophia Samonek, 5-11 sr. MH (483 kills, .313 hitting %, 386 digs, 85 blocks); Hannah Baker, 5-11 sr. MH/OH (471 kills, .480 hitting %, 377 digs).
Finals forecast: After reaching the Quarterfinals the last two years, Lenawee Christian has advanced to the Semifinals for the first time since the 2005-06 winter season, a run that has included wins over No. 3 Hillsdale Academy and No. 7 Battle Creek St. Philip. The Cougars also defeated No. 2 Mendon during the regular season. Baker made the all-state first team last season, and Bryja made the second, and they join with Samonek and outside hitter Whitney Lilly (277 kills, 74 aces) to give Lenawee Christian four senior starters. Marowelli played at Lenawee Christian, graduating in 2010, and Spring Arbor before coaching in Indiana and then returning to eventually take over the program.
CLARKSTON EVEREST COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 30-4-2, No. 10
Coach: Danielle Walker, first season (30-4-2)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic High School League Intersectional
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Sarah Bradley, 6-0 jr. OH (349 kills, .450 hitting %, 210 digs); Erica Walker, 5-6 jr. S/RS (541 assists, 155 digs); Madelyn Krappmann, 5-10 jr. OH (260 kills, .320 hitting %, 53 aces).
Finals forecast: Danielle Walker’s first season has turned into the best in program history as Everest has reached the Semifinals for the first time after also claiming its first Regional title. Krappmann and Bradley earned all-state honorable mentions a year ago and help pace a roster that has only one senior. The Mountaineers defeated No. 6 Marlette on Tuesday to advance and are 15-1-1 over their last 17 matches.
CRYSTAL FALLS FOREST PARK
Record/rank: 34-2, No. 9
Coach: Bobbie Jo Anderson, fourth season (86-36-9)
League finish: First in Skyline Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Ema Stepien, 5-8 OH sr. (288 kills, .400 hitting %, 98 aces); Elsie Williams, 5-5 soph. S/OH (410 assists); Ava Fischer, 5-6 soph. OH (237 kills, .350 hitting %, 67 aces, 222 digs).
Finals forecast: Forest Park is making a return trip to Battle Creek as well and has taken another big step with 12 more wins than a year ago. The entire starting lineup except for last season’s libero is back, and four seniors are among eight in the main playing group. Senior middle Leah Feldhausen (212 kills, .350 hitting %) is another key hitter, and senior Charlie Larson (373 assists, 52 aces) also directs the attack while junior Audrey Franz paced the defense with 400 digs entering the week. The Trojans’ only two losses were to Kingsford, a Division 2 District winner.
LELAND
Record/rank: 40-16-2, No. 4
Coach: Laurie Glass, 29th season (1,123-362-102)
League finish: First in Northwest Conference
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), eight runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Fiona Moord, 6-2 sr. OH (509 kills, 117 aces, 247 digs); Olive Ryder, 5-8 sr. OH (249 kills, 103 aces, 426 digs); Kelsey Allen, 6-0 sr. MB (318 kills, 56 blocks).
Finals forecast: Leland may be few in number, with just seven players, but is high in experience with five seniors and strong at the net with senior Shelby Plamondon (250 kills) another 6-footer in the middle. Leland fell to eventual Division 4 champion Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in last season’s Quarterfinal, but avenged with a win over the No. 5 Irish on Tuesday – and seven of the team’s losses were to opponents ranked or earning honorable mentions in Divisions 1, 2 or 3. Moord made the all-state first team last season, and Allen and Ryder made the second team. Junior Abby Hicks directs the attack and had 1,172 assists entering the week, while senior libero Mallory Lowe had a team-high 444 digs and junior Kally Sluiter also is among four players with at least 240.
PHOTOS (Top) Adrienne Greschaw (1) sets the North Branch attack during its Quarterfinal win over Frankenmuth. (Middle) Clarkston's Rylee Hunt (11) prepares to put up a block as Macomb L'Anse Creuse North's Kate Schneider connects during their Division 1 Quarterfinal. (Photos by Terry Lyons.)