P-W Volleyball Adds to School's Championship Tradition with 1st Finals Win
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 19, 2022
BATTLE CREEK – The message in the Pewamo-Westphalia huddle Saturday following a dropped third set was to get back to having fun.
The Pirates had been at their best all season while playing loose, and in the Division 3 Final with Kalamazoo Christian pulling to within a set, they didn’t want to let the pressure get to them.
Then Kellogg Arena provided an assist.
“Our team has a tradition of the ‘Cupid Shuffle,’” senior outside hitter Dani Pohl said. “It’s always on our playlist, and we always drop anything to dance to it. So, before the song came on we were just like, ‘We need to play loose. We play our best when we have fun.’ Then that song came on and we were like, ‘OK. This is our song. This is our set. We’re going to win this thing in four. We’re going to play loose and have fun. I honestly think the dance break just loosened everybody up. We knew what we needed to do, and we just went out there and did it.”
Pewamo-Westphalia shuffled its way to a 25-17 win in the fourth set, closing out a 25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17 victory and the program’s first Finals title.
“The feeling really hasn’t set in yet,” said Pirates junior Taylor Smith, who had the match-winning ace. “It doesn’t really feel like we just did that. I think it’s really important for all of us, because not only did we do it for ourselves, we did it for our entire community. Everybody has been looking forward to this. We did something big, and it’s going to last us forever.”
Pewamo-Westphalia has had plenty of success as an athletic department. But this trip to the Finals was the volleyball program’s first since a runner-up finish in 1994.
“The popularity of our sport right now, there’s been a lot of success over the eight years that I’ve been here, and the amount of kids we have coming out to play the sport right now is just humongous,” Pewamo-Westphalia coach Jon Thelen said. “Every time we are successful in something, more kids seem to show up out of nowhere. This is just a great way to keep the community growing and loving the sport. I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot more state titles ahead of this program.”
To get title No. 1, the Pirates had to hold off a scrappy Kalamazoo Christian team that didn’t blink when it went down two sets in its first Final since 1976.
The Comets battled through the third set, and built a 15-11 lead after a pair of kills from junior outside hitter Holland DeVries.
Pewamo-Westphalia (46-2-2) erased the deficit and eventually held a 20-18 lead before a back-and-forth finish tightened up the match at two sets to one. On Friday, Kalamazoo Christian had found itself in a similar position, going down two sets before coming all the way back to defeat Calumet in the Semifinal.
“I think I said those exact words, ‘We were right here yesterday,’” Kalamazoo Christian coach Carlie Southland said. “‘If we can come back like we did yesterday, we can come back like that today.’”
Of course, that wasn’t to be, as Pewamo-Westphalia took control of the fourth set relatively early, and built a 20-11 lead before eventually closing it out with Smith’s ace.
“I’m just proud of this group,” Thelen said. “We really battled all season, and it’s one of those things that started last year. I just kind of had this feeling going through the summer of what we were going to be able to do this year. I knew we were going to be very good, but how good, we just proved it today against a very good team.”
Saige Martin led the Pewamo-Westphalia attack with 13 kills, while adding 12 digs and three blocks. Pohl added 10 kills and 15 digs, while Smith had 36 assists and 11 digs. Sierra Schneider led the front line defensively for the Pirates with five blocks.
DeVries led Kalamazoo Christian with 17 kills and 16 digs. Marissa Fetterley added 11 kills and four blocks, while Makenna Ekkens and Hope Krichke each had 12 digs. Lola Stecker had 38 assists for the Comets (38-6-3).
PHOTOS (Top) Pewamo-Westphalia celebrates its Division 3 championship Saturday at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) The Pirates’ Sierra Schneider (12) winds up to hit with Kalamazoo Christian’s Marisa Fetterley (15) putting up a block. (Below) P-W’s Dani Pohl makes contact on a kill attempt.
Block Party: 2026 Girls Volleyball Week 6 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 30, 2026
League play is in full swing across Michigan, and several leagues include multiple teams earning statewide respect in the latest Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association polls as well.
As we gear up for the middle of this girls volleyball season, we’ll of course continue to feature many of the major tournaments taking place on weekends – we have several coming up this Saturday – but we’re also turning our eyes to some of these significant league matchups, including a few from last week and a few more coming up.
Records below are those reported and tracked on this website, and rankings referred to below reflect the latest polls posted by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA).
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Parma Western d. Marshall (20-25, 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 15-10) These Interstate 8 Athletic Conference rivals went the distance in a match that also had statewide interest with Western (21-0) ranked No. 3 in Division 2 and Marshall (18-7-1) No. 8.
2. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central d. Flat Rock (26-24, 15-25, 23-25, 26-24, 15-9) This Huron League matchup also carries intrigue extending past local play, with SMCC No. 8 in Division 3 and Flat Rock earning honorable mention in Division 2.
3. Bloomfield Hills Marian d. Lowell (25-19, 25-14, 25-12) Division 1 No. 2 Marian (25-3) went 3-0 at Grand Haven’s quad, also defeating Lake Orion and the No. 10 Bucs, but this win over the No. 9 Red Arrows (18-13) particularly stands out.
4. Edwardsburg d. Otsego (25-13, 14-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12) The Division 2 No. 7 Eddies (15-5) multiple times held off comeback attempts by honorable mention Otsego (9-6) to win a key Wolverine Conference match.
5. Hudsonville d. South Lyon (25-18, 25-21) The Division 1 No. 5 Eagles (20-2) finished 4-0 at their invitational, the highlight this sweep of the honorable mention Lions (18-9-1).
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
Midland Dow (34-4-4) The unranked Chargers earned honorable mention in the Division 1 poll during the season’s first month and are making a play to get that recognition back, with a 5-0 day at their co-hosted Charger/Chemic Challenge the latest success. Two losses were to No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian and Division 3 No. 4 Clinton, and victories over Division 2 No. 5 Kingsley, No. 10 North Branch, honorable mention Tecumseh and Division 3 No. 2 Roscommon stick out among several.
Utica Eisenhower (23-2) After reaching at least 33 wins the last two years, Eisenhower is on pace for the same and potentially more. The Eagles have won 14 straight matches dating back to the first day of September and with both losses to Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian at the same August tournament. Victories over Division 1 No. 7 South Lyon East, No. 9 Lowell and honorable mentions Bloomfield Hills, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and South Lyon all have contributed to Eisenhower’s No. 6 ranking.
DIVISION 2
Dearborn Divine Child (15-4) Divine Child is unranked but maybe not for long considering a nine-match winning streak that’s included a comeback win over honorable mention Tecumseh. The Falcons have won District titles and most seasons much more every year this decade and are lining up for another run with good losses to Division 1 No. 10 Grand Haven, honorable mention Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Novi and Plymouth and more competitive matches coming up – notably in Catholic High School League tournament play and against Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central on Oct. 14.
Tecumseh (19-5-2) Tecumseh is an honorable mention in the latest poll and enjoying an eight-match unbeaten streak, with a pair of tournament ties to Lansing Catholic and Williamston over the weekend – and a win over the Cougars at the same event. Tecumseh also owns two impressive victories over Division 3 No. 4 Clinton, and the losses have been strong, against No. 5 Kingsley and Midland Dow during the season’s first weekend, Linden, and No. 3 Parma Western and Divine Child before starting the current success streak.
DIVISION 3
Grass Lake (11-2-2) The Warriors are an honorable mention this week and climbing as well, as they haven’t lost since the season’s first weekend and have dropped only four sets during an eight-match winning streak. The losses came during the first week to current Division 2 honorable mentions Tecumseh and Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, and that weekend they also earned draws with Gabriel Richard and Division 3 honorable mention Hanover-Horton.
Traverse City St. Francis (15-7-1) The Gladiators are another honorable mention and riding high after defeating Division 4 No. 4 Traverse City Christian in four sets Monday. That was their second win this season over the Sabres, and a loss to Division 3 No. 5 Elk Rapids two weeks ago is the only flaw during a current 8-1-1 run. St. Francis spent most of August and early September playing larger opponents, mostly from downstate, but wins over No. 7 Manton and Division 4 No. 10 Onekama closer to home also were highlights during that time.
DIVISION 4
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (20-6) The No. 6-ranked Lancers opened the season with eight wins over two tournaments, and they’ve already surpassed last season’s 19 victories. They’ve powered through several opponents from Divisions 1, 2 and 3 especially during two weekends of Motor City Power Series play, during which they’ve gone a combined 4-4. A four-set loss to Division 3 honorable mention Plymouth Christian Academy on Tuesday was tough for league purposes, but they’ll meet again Oct. 22.
Baraga (17-0) The unranked Vikings no doubt are making a bid to join the elite list, as they’ve dropped three sets all season with two of those coming during a five-set win over Painesdale Jeffers last week. This run has included 5-0 days at the Copper Mountain Conference Tournament and Baraga Invitational, and circle a match at No. 9 Hancock on Oct. 8 as another great test of where the Vikings stand. Hancock ended Baraga’s 2025 run in District play.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Wednesday – Essexville Garber (21-7-4) at Frankenmuth (16-0) – The Division 2 No. 6 Eagles must hold off the honorable mention Dukes in the Tri-Valley Conference Red after Garber won the matchup in five sets a year ago.
Thursday – Concord (11-3-3), Grass Lake (11-2-2) at Hillsdale Academy (13-5) – This high-powered set features the host Colts ranked No. 8 in Division 4, with Concord an honorable mention and Grass Lake an honorable mention in Division 3.
Saturday – Jenison Invitational – A strong field includes mostly west-side teams including Division 1 No. 5 Hudsonville and No. 10 Grand Haven and Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian, but with Division 1 honorable mention South Lyon also making the trip among 11 schools total.
Saturday – D3/D4 Showdown at Trinity Health Sports Center – This annual event’s field is filled with several strong small-school teams.
Saturday – Best of the West at Muskegon Mona Shores – The Sailors will host eight teams including Fruitport, Division 2 honorable mention Fremont, Division 3 No. 3 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian and No. 10 Hart.
PHOTOS (Top) East Grand Rapids lines up for a kill attempt during a match this season against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern. (Middle) Breckenridge and Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart blockers and hitters meet at the net. (EGR/FHN photo by Michigan Sports Photo. Breckenridge/Sacred Heart photo by High School Sports Scene.)