Mendon Extends Reign with D4 Repeat
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2019
BATTLE CREEK – All Heather Bowers does is win MHSAA titles.
The second-year Mendon volleyball coach is now 2-for-2 at Kellogg Arena, as her Hornets defeated Leland for the second straight year – this time 25-17, 25-19, 27-29, 25-14 – on Saturday in the Division 4 Final.
“The hard work these girls have put in, I just can’t say how proud I am of them,” Bowers said. “It was a completely different group with a completely different dynamic, but the same work ethic and the same drive and will to win.”
Last year’s title was the first since 2001 for the Hornets (40-9-6). But even after losing six seniors, this year’s group came in with experience winning on the Kellogg floor led by junior Anna Smith. She was dominant for the second straight year, with 22 kills, 13 digs and four aces.
“The fact of the matter is she can score at will against our team – against any team. I haven’t seen anybody shut her down,” Leland coach Laurie Glass said. “She has all the shots. She gets up there and she sees tips, she sees the corner, she sees the line, she sees the cross. At this level, not a lot of D4 schools have kids that can do all of that at will. She’s super talented, and it’s unfortunate for us that she’s a junior and will be returning next year.”
Smith was the main target for Hornets setter Gracie Russell, who finished with 41 assists. But Russell spread the ball around, keeping the Leland defense guessing. Senior Taylor Heitkamp was second on the team with 12 kills.
“We knew (the Comets) were such a balanced team that we had to be one, too,” Bowers said. “We all showed up, we all got involved. It was amazing. It was a great group effort.”
Leland’s attack was three-pronged, led by junior Tatum Kareck with 15 kills, senior Gillian Grobbel with 13 and Olivia Lowe with 11. Jana Molby had 37 assists for the Comets (44-15-3).
But a strong Hornets defense held Leland to an overall .128 attacking percentage. Mendon finished with eight total blocks, led by five assists and one solo from junior Andrea Hoffman.
“Leland’s always had really strong hitters, so we know that we have to defend our back row so they can have our backs, too,” Hoffman said. “You have to put up a big block to run your offense, and we did.”
Leland won the first four points of the match, but the momentum was short-lived, as Mendon won 13 of the next 16 to take control. The Mendon lead got as high as 13-7 after a pair of aces from Smith, which forced Leland to call a timeout.
While the timeout stopped play, it didn’t swing the momentum, as the Hornets kept Leland at arm’s length on its way to a first-set victory.
The Hornets never trailed during the second set, leading by as many as eight (24-16).
Leland built an 18-12 lead in the third set, gaining momentum from an unlikely play. With her team trailing 6-4, Lowe dug a powerful Smith spike with her face, and the Comets wound up getting the better of what turned into a long rally.
The Comets had set point at 24-19, but Mendon senior defensive specialist Juliana Hagenbuch served her team back into the match and gave the Hornets a match point opportunity at 25-24. But Leland bounced back to close out the set and force a fourth.
Mendon took control of the fourth set early, leading 12-6 and forcing a Leland timeout. Thanks to incredible back-line play from sophomore Isabella Smith and Hagenbuch, the timeout wasn’t able to stop the Mendon roll, as the Hornets continued to stretch their lead. Hagenbuch finished with 19 digs, while Smith had 12.
“I think they put up a strong block today, so it was really easy to stay off their shoulder and pick up balls that they touch or they block,” Hagenbuch said. “They made my job easy today. I didn’t have to dig as many balls. I was proud of them.”
Both teams should return plenty of talent in 2020, especially Leland which loses just one senior. While Grobbel is a significant loss, the thought of a third straight trip to the Finals, and another possible chance at redemption against Mendon, was already on the mind of at least one Comets player.
“It makes me want to win even more,” said junior libero Mia Osorio, who had 10 digs. “Last year, we came into this year thinking we really want to win, but this time it’s like the cherry on top. We just want to make it down here again and hopefully see them again – and win.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Mendon celebrates its second-straight Division 4 championship Saturday at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) Mendon’s Ryley Mullin (11) and Leland’s Olivia Lowe battle at the net.
Country Day, Senior Star Hiemstra Cap Repeat Run in Dominating Fashion
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 22, 2025
BATTLE CREEK – Elise Hiemstra’s final swing in a Detroit Country Day uniform was the perfect way to end her high school volleyball career.
The senior outside hitter took a well-placed set from sophomore Payton Woodruff, like she has so many times over the past two years, and spiked it through the Flat Rock defense onto the floor at Kellogg Arena.
Her 21st kill of the day closed out a 25-18, 25-19, 25-12 sweep for the Yellowjackets in the Division 2 championship match, and back-to-back Finals titles.
“I just really wanted Payton to get me the ball,” Hiemstra said. “I just really wanted to go out the best I possibly could.”
This weekend marked just the second time Country Day had even made the Semifinal, but the Yellowjackets (29-9) looked like seasoned veterans, clinically putting away Flat Rock in a dominant performance.
“Our goal today was just to kind of come in and take care of business,” Country Day coach Kim Lockhart said. “Go back to the basics, serve tough, pass the ball. Just go out there and do our thing, and I think that’s what we did. We handled ourselves well. I felt our nerves were settled right out the gate. We came in with confidence and a lot of communication.”
Flat Rock, meanwhile, felt the nerves and inexperience in this moment were a factor as the Rams (39-9) were making their first appearance at Kellogg Arena.
“I feel like the pressure, this was our first time even making it here, and I feel like we were just not used to that,” Flat Rock junior Sarah Giroux said.
Giroux’s assessment looked accurate, as Country Day’s athleticism and attacking movement seemed to catch Flat Rock flat-footed.
Woodruff had 35 assists in the match, spreading them out to seven attackers.
“Especially going through semis and quarters, I think their offense was a little bit quicker,” Flat Rock coach Morgan Delhey said. “I would have liked to see a little bit more competition coming up to this so maybe we were a bit more prepared. But, they’re a good team and I have to give credit to them.”
While Woodruff was spreading the wealth, Hiemstra was her favorite target, and for good reason. On Saturday, Hiemstra became Country Day’s all-time leader in kills, both for a career and season.
“When I look at Elise, she was a baby coming into all the camps I used to run when she was just so little and loving the sport,” Lockhart said. “Her sister was older than her, and she was kind of like, ‘I wanna be like my sister.’ She has just been here from the get-go, out of the gate, and has learned from some really great players along the way. Ever since she was a freshman, playing behind some big players. She’s really been a sponge. Going from playing back row, a (defensive specialist) when she was a freshman, to leading the team to back-to-back championships, there’s a lot to be said about her and her success at Country Day.”
While Country Day didn’t show any signs of stress Saturday, they did have to deal with the pressure of defending a title all season. It’s something they really embraced down the stretch.
“There was definitely a lot of pressure, but we took it and we used it to our advantage instead of letting it make us crumble,” Country Day senior Abby Pernick said. “I think that is really what pushed us through. We wanted it so much. That was the thing we talked about from Day 1, tryouts even. We came in, and we knew we wanted it.”
Demi McCoy led the Country Day back line with 14 digs Saturday, while Hiemstra added nine. Aliyah Potapenko had nine kills for the Yellowjackets, and Woodruff added four aces.
Giroux led the Flat Rock attack with 15 kills, adding nine digs defensively, while Zoe Ryan had 21 assists.
“I wouldn’t rather do it with anybody else than this team,” Flat Rock senior Reagan Higdon said. “I wouldn’t rather win or lose with anybody else. Especially for this program, this community, no matter how we came out, I’m still glad that we’re here. We’ve done something that’s never been done before.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Country Day players celebrate their repeat championship Saturday at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) Elise Hiemstra (9) smashes a kill attempt at a Flat Rock block including Jaclynn Motyka (14).