Title IX at 50: Guerra/Groat Legacy Continues to Serve St. Philip Well
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 14, 2021
Nearly 100 years of MHSAA history have yielded plenty of multiple-generation coaching families, and a number of those have guided multiple generations of athletes to great success.
But what Battle Creek St. Philip volleyball coaches Sheila Guerra and her daughter Vicky (Guerra) Groat have accomplished is unmatched among coaching legacies – with their individual accomplishments also stacking up well with the rest of the state’s legends on the volleyball sideline.
Last season’s five-set win over Auburn Hills Oakland Christian in the Division 4 title decider gave the Tigers 21 Finals championships in the sport – more than twice the next program on the list. The championship match appearance was St. Phil’s 30th – also more than twice as many as the next most successful team.
Guerra took over the program to start the 1981-82 season (when volleyball was still played during the winter) and finished in 1997 with a record of 862-180-46, with those 862 victories still ranking 25th on the all-time MHSAA volleyball coaching wins list. She led the Tigers to nine Class D championships, including four straight from 1992-96, and two runner-up finishes.
Groat – who graduated from St. Phil in 1985 – followed her mom taking over for the 1997-98 season, leading that team to a Class D runner-up finish, but then stepping away after 1998-99. She returned a season later and has run her record to 1,179-275-93 heading into this fall – with the sixth-most wins in MHSAA history. She’s led 11 teams to Finals championships, 10 in Class D and last season’s in Division 4, plus six more runner-up finishes. The Tigers won a record nine-straight titles beginning with the final winter season of 2006-07 through the fall of 2014.
Second Half's weekly Title IX Celebration posts are sponsored by Michigan Army National Guard.
Previous Title IX at 50 Spotlights
Sept. 7: Best-Ever Conversation Must Include Leland's Glass - Read
Aug. 31: We Will Celebrate Many Who Paved the Way - Read
Story in Photos: 2025 Volleyball Division 2 & 3 Semifinals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 21, 2025
BATTLE CREEK – The final four championship contenders earned their ways to the season’s final day during Friday’s Division 2 and 3 Semifinals at Kellogg Arena.
Saturday’s Finals will see the following face off:
10 a.m. – Division 4 – Fowler (35-8-2) vs. Mendon (38-6-1)
Noon – Division 1 – Farmington Hills Mercy (41-5-3) vs. Bloomfield Hills (43-6-1)
2:30 p.m. – Division 2 – Detroit Country Day (28-9) vs. Flat Rock (39-8)
4:30 p.m. – Division 3 – Kingsley (56-4-1) vs. Kalamazoo Christian (30-11-3)
All four matches offer the opportunity for a first-time champion as Fowler, Bloomfield Hills, Flat Rock and Kingsley will be playing for an inaugural title. Country Day will be playing for a repeat after winning its first championship a year ago, while Mercy and Kalamazoo Christian won in 2023 and Mendon’s most recent Finals victory came in 2019.
Hockey Weekly Action Photos captured the following from Friday’s action.
Kalamazoo Christian junior Eliana Keller unloads a kill attempt during her team’s 25-23, 25-16, 25-20 win over Saginaw Valley Lutheran. She finished with 11 kills.
Valley Lutheran sophomore Grace Parker (7) attempts to split by a block by Keller and senior Lydia Boley. Parker had five kills for the Chargers (51-11-3).
Kingsley junior Aizlyn McKinley (10) follows through on a kill attempt as Monroe St. Mary’s Olivia Beaudrie (2) and Kiley Urbanski (9) set up a block during the Stags’ 17-25, 25-19, 25-23, 8-25, 17-15 victory.
SMCC junior Olivia Horning extends for a dig. She finished with 11 for the Kestrels (36-6-1).
Flat Rock and Fremont players meet on a ball at the net during the Rams’ 25-20, 26-24, 23-25, 25-22 win. Both teams were appearing in a Semifinal for the first time, and Fremont finished 38-14.
Flat Rock junior Sarah Giroux connects on a kill attempt. She finished with 30 kills and 24 digs.
Detroit Country Day’s Elise Hiemstra (9) winds up for a hit during her team’s 18-25, 30-28, 25-23, 25-23 win over Grand Rapids Christian. Hiemstra had 19 kills for the match.
Grand Rapids Christian junior Taylor Frost (4) sends a kill attempt toward a block by Country Day sophomore Sici Guerrant (11) and junior Leah Green. Frost had18 kills for the Eagles (36-10), and Green had nine blocks for the Yellowjackets.
TOP PHOTO Flat Rock players pile onto the Kellogg Arena floor after clinching their first trip to the MHSAA Finals on Friday.