Undefeated Calumet Upholding Tradition
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 22, 2020
CALUMET — Over nearly two decades, Calumet has developed a tradition of excellence in high school volleyball.
First-year coach Kate (Twardzik) Bonacorsi remembers what it was like during the early years.
“We were an unknown,” she said. “Hardly anybody would come to the volleyball matches. Then we won the (Class B) Regional in 2003 and kind of raised the bar.
“A lot of the credit has to go to my mom (Lisa Twardzik) for all the work she put into the program and the passion she had for the game.”
Their multiple-generation coaching connection is just the latest from a legacy that is again producing a team capable of achieving high aspirations.
The Copper Kings – honorable mentions in this week’s Division 3 coaches poll – are fresh from Monday’s 3-0 victory over Houghton and will take an 11-0 record into Saturday’s Western Peninsula Athletic Conference finals on their home court.
Calumet finishes its regular season at Marquette on Oct. 29, then hosts Hancock in a District opener Nov. 4.
“This is pretty exciting after putting all the time in the gym,” said senior libero Cami Johnson. “We have good chemistry on our team for sure. It’s inspiring too for us to be on a competitive team. We were able to see our older sisters play and be part of a successful program, and that motivated us to work harder. I’m proud to be from Calumet.”
The Copper Kings, who fell to Manistique in Regional openers the past two seasons, hope to go deeper in this year’s MHSAA Tournament.
They hope those defeats pay off when the postseason begins.
“When we saw them in warm-ups, they looked pretty good and we were a little nervous about playing them,” said senior outside hitter Elli Djerf of taking on the Emeralds in 2019. “There’s a chance we could see them again this year if we win our District.
“We learned quite a bit from those losses. With COVID-19 you never know when your season might end. We’re not as nervous this time. We play every match like it’s going to be our last.”
Among the team’s highlights this fall was a 3-1 triumph over Marquette at home Sept. 14.
“We made a bit of a statement that night,” said Johnson. “Our hitters were executing, and they had a few strong hitters. We were a little worried when we missed two weeks due to COVID, but after the break we came back super fresh.”
Djerf was the West-PAC’s Player of the Year last season as a junior, and Johnson was the Defensive Specialist of the Year. Now-senior setter Kristi Keranen also made the all-league first team.
Also among the team’s leaders is sophomore middle hitter Helen Beiring. “Helen plays well above her age,” Bonacorsi said. “She’s a very savvy player, and our setter is doing a good job.
“We have strong players at every position, and they challenge each other in practice. Just being able to have a season, maintaining a high standard and living up to expectations has been a highlight.”
A member of Calumet’s Athletic Hall of Fame, Bonacorsi went on to play at Northern Michigan University, and her sister Erica played on the 2008 team that finished Class C runner-up to Schoolcraft.
“Erica and Abby Storm were co-MVPs in the West-PAC that year,” said Bonacorsi. “I remember going to the Semifinals and Finals after we got eliminated from the (NCAA Division II Tournament). It was exciting to see them play.”
Lisa Twardzik retired from coaching after leading the Copper Kings to another Semifinal appearance in 2016, and with a record of 625-131-43 over 18 seasons. Matt Laho took over for the next three seasons.
“Matt did a great job maintaining the program and has been gracious enough to help out, and Mom gave me some pointers,” said Bonacorsi. “Matt left me with a full cupboard. Mom is so modest and tells me ‘I don’t want to step on your toes,’ and I tell her ‘I need your help.’”
Djerf pointed to the team’s communication on the floor among areas becoming strengths this season. She also noted the team’s serve-receive and serving as contributors to Calumet’s overall continued improvement.
All have the Copper Kings in position to again thrive into November.
“It feels great to be part of a tradition. When you’re a little girl, you look up to the older girls. We thought they were so cool and wanted to be a part of that,” Keranen said.
“We work hard in practice. So far we’ve gone undefeated, and we want to keep it going.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTO: Calumet's Helen Beiring taps the ball over the net during a match against Hancock in September. (Photo courtesy of the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette.)
Block Party: 2025 Girls Volleyball Week 10 Report
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 29, 2025
League championships have been all but decided, Districts are assigned and brackets drawn, and we’re only a few days from the start of this season’s MHSAA Girls Volleyball Tournament.
That means we’ll be coming back shortly, as our “Block Party” schedule moves up the next edition to Monday so we can preview some of the most intriguing District brackets across the state and all four divisions.
Until then, below are a few more regular-season observations as teams continued with their final tune-ups:
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Rockford d. Farmington Hills Mercy (24-18, 23-25, 15-6) The East vs. West Challenge at Lowell was another opportunity for the Division 1 top-ranked Rams (40-1-1) to show their superiority among the state’s elite – which they did, not only defeating then-No. 2 Mercy (18-4-2) but also new No. 2 Bloomfield Hills and No. 7 Utica Eisenhower among others.
2. South Lyon East d. Farmington Hills Mercy (25-19, 18-25, 25-13) Outside of Rockford, there may be no team hotter than Division 1 No. 5 South Lyon East (37-7-1), which has won 11 straight and followed this with a sweep through the Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
3. Bloomfield Hills Marian d. Detroit Country Day (25-16, 25-16) The Division 1 No. 4 Mustangs (43-5-0) have won 20 of their last 23 matches, and went 3-0 at the Country Day quad Monday including this sweep of the Division 2 top-ranked Yellowjackets (16-8-0).
4. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern d. Tecumseh (25-21, 25-21) The Division 1 No. 6 Huskies (33-8-1) handed just the second defeat this season to Division 2 No. 6 Tecumseh (51-2-0).
5. Plymouth Christian Academy d. Ubly (25-20, 25-21) A 5-0 run through the Mt. Morris Tournament by Division 3 No. 2 PCA (37-8-1) including this win over the Division 4 No. 3 Bearcats (25-10-4), plus sweeps of Charlevoix and much larger Holt, Essexville Garber and Cadillac.
Watch List
With an eye toward November, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
DIVISION 1
East Grand Rapids (29-10-0) The Pioneers are among honorable mentions in Division 1 again this week, and despite a pair of losses to Division 2 No. 3 Grand Rapids Christian over the last eight days bounced back to defeat No. 4 Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Division 4 No. 2 Fowler heading into these final few days of the regular season. EGR already has bested last year’s record of 26-16-5 and will enter its District next week as the second seed to Forest Hills Northern. Eight of the team’s losses have come against top-10 teams in Divisions 1 and 2.
Zeeland East (29-4-0) Although the Chix did lose out on a league title Monday falling in five sets to Division 2 No. 5 Holland Christian, that was the team’s first defeat since facing Holland Christian on Sept. 23 – and the only other losses this season came to Division 1 No. 10 Grand Haven. Zeeland East also is among honorable mentions this week and seeded second in a District behind another honorable mention in Byron Center. The Chix do have an early-season win over Holland Christian and have defeated Division 2 honorable mention Marshall and Division 3 No. 6 Kalamazoo Christian among others.
DIVISION 2
Detroit Country Day (16-8-0) The reigning Division 2 champion has been ranked No. 1 this season for all but two weeks, and moved back into the top spot this week after a four-set win over Bloomfield Hills on Oct. 21 – which avenged a loss from the season-opening quad Aug. 26. All eight losses have come against Division 1 opponents, with six to teams ranked or receiving honorable mention currently. Country Day is seeded first in its District, which empties into a Regional that could include No. 2 North Branch or No. 7 Imlay City.
Holland Christian (23-8-0) As noted above, the Maroons have clinched a share of a league championship, in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Black and with Spring Lake to finish the schedule. The closing run to secure the title came after a four-match losing streak that included three defeats to ranked Division 1 teams at the Jenison Invitational, and seven of the team’s losses total have come to ranked or honorable mention opponents. The Zeeland East win noted above also gave Holland Christian one more this season than last, and the Maroons will head into District play a top seed.
DIVISION 3
Byron (28-3-1) The Eagles have won nine straight matches including all four Saturday at the Marine City Cardinal Mooney Invitational, and they already have five more victories than last season – when Byron reached the Regional Finals. They’ve played several matches against Division 1 and 2 opponents this fall, with two of their defeats coming from teams in those divisions, and they also have notable victories over Alma and New Boston Huron among larger-enrollment foes. Byron also will be a top seed in its District.
Morley Stanwood (27-12-0) With eight wins over its last 10 matches, Morley Stanwood has joined the list of honorable mention teams in Division 3 the last two weeks. The schedule has included showdowns with several ranked opponents, with losses to No. 1 Roscommon, No. 2 Plymouth Christian Academy, No. 3 Kingsley and twice to No. 10 Beal City. That schedule has paid off as Morley Stanwood will enter its District as a top seed but with Central State Activities Association rival Kent City the second seed and after Kent City won two of three meetings this fall including in Saturday’s league tournament.
DIVISION 4
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (23-8-6) The 2022 Division 4 champion also made the Quarterfinals in 2023 and the Semifinals a year ago, and has prepped for another potential extended run facing a slate of larger schools and several that also are ranked. Sacred Heart is No. 4 in Division 4, and half of its losses this season are to Division 3 No. 10 Beal City, with the rest to Division 1 honorable mention Traverse City Central and three other Division 1 or two schools. Meanwhile, the Irish also have wins over Division 4 No. 2 Fowler and honorable mention Grand Rapids Sacred Heart.
Wakefield-Marenisco (19-7-0) The Cardinals opened this season with a 3-4 showing at the Copper Mountain Conference tournament, but have since avenged two of those losses and another early-season defeat in downing Ewen-Trout Creek last week. W-M has won eight straight matches since falling to No. 5 Crystal Falls Forest Park at the Trojans’ invitational on Sept. 20, and three losses this season have come against Lake Linden-Hubbell (23-5-0). The Cardinals are seeded second in their District to Forest Park and Thursday against Ironwood can equal their 20 victories of a year ago.
Can’t-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these matches and tournaments coming up:
Thursday – ABCD quad at Traverse City Central – This annual event will see the Division 1 honorable mention Trojans (26-7-0) host Division 3 No. 3 Kingsley (47-4-1) and No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis (24-14-0), and Division 4 Leland (12-25-1).
Thursday – Essexville Garber quad – The Dukes (38-11-3) will welcome Midland Dow (19-12-5), Yale (23-21-1) and Saginaw Valley Lutheran (43-10-3).
Thursday – Buckley quad – The Bears (27-5-1) will host an impressive Division 4 crew of No. 10 Onekama (30-8-3), Bellaire (19-7-4) and Traverse City Christian (24-12-2).
Saturday – Temperance Bedford Spooktacular – The field for this year’s regular-season finale includes Division 4 No. 7 Adrian Lenawee Christian, Division 2 No. 10 Flat Rock and Division 3 No. 4 Hanover Horton among others.
Saturday – Grand Blanc Tournament – The Bobcats will close the regular season with Division 2 No. 2 North Branch and Division 1 Oxford among those in the field.
PHOTOS (Top) Saginaw Valley Lutheran’s Grace Parker (7) elevates to get to the ball as Birch Run’s Teagan Abraham (2) sets up to block Tuesday. (Middle) Saginaw Swan Valley’s Hadley Wagner connects on a kill attempt while Clio’s Alaina Gliniecki (3) and Kelcy Sperling (14) get ready at the net, also Tuesday at Birch Run. (Photos by Terry Lyons.)