Did you see that? (11/5-11/11)
November 13, 2012
Upsets all over the volleyball Regional brackets were among the most stunning highlights from the week’s non-football action across the state.
Volleyball
Upset of the week: In arguably the biggest surprise in any sport last week – football included – Class A honorable mention Grand Rapids Christian downed No. 1 and seemingly unstoppable Richland Gull Lake in five games to claim the Regional title at Portage Northern. The Eagles trailed two games to one before winning the final two. (Grand Rapids Press)
Upset, part II: Unranked Birmingham Seaholm added to its previous elimination of No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Marian by finishing a Class A Regional title by beating No. 2 Clarkston in three games. The Maples didn’t allow the Wolves to score more than 18 points in any of the three games. (Oakland Press)
Vikings sail on: Lakewood, the No. 1 team in Class B, trailed No. 3 Ada Forest Hills Eastern after three games. But the Vikings again finished strong to claim their fourth win over a ranked opponent of this tournament run. (Ionia Sentinel-Standard)
USA, all the way: Unionville-Sebewaing also pulled off a sizable upset, in Class C, claiming its second Regional title ever by defeating No. 2 St. Louis. The Patriots, an honorable mention in the poll, dropped the first game before coming back to win the next three. (Bay City Times)
First-time title: Powered by 6-foot-5 middle Abby Cole, Grand Haven claimed its first Regional title by sweeping Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in Class A. Cole also was a star on the Buccaneers’ Class A Final basketball championship team last winter. (Grand Haven Tribune)
Swimming and diving
Milan tops in SMISL: Most swimming and diving leagues finished up conference competition two weekends ago. But Milan – an honorable mention in Division 2 – claimed one of the final meet titles, in the Southeasterm Michigan Independent Swimming League. Milan took only two first places, but edged Division 2 honorable mention Temperance Bedford, with Division 3 No. 7 Adrian finishing third and Division 3 No. 8 Tecumseh coming in fourth. (Monroe Evening News)
Soccer
Mr. Soccer is Mr. Lewis: Rockford’s Dewey Lewis was named this season’s Mr. Soccer by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association. Lewis was a four-year varsity player for the Rams, and will play next season at Michigan State. (Grand Rapids Press)
Seniors Cap Notre Dame Prep Careers with Championship Celebration
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 20, 2021
BATTLE CREEK – Josie Bloom and her Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior classmates entered high school with the volleyball program on top.
They will leave having put it in the same place.
Led by a deep and talented senior class, the Irish defeated North Branch 25-17, 25-17, 25-12 on Saturday at Kellogg Arena to claim the MHSAA Division 2 Finals title.
“It’s awesome,” Bloom said. “We’ve had this goal since the beginning of the season, and it’s awesome to have that final feeling, and to go out with a bang.”
The title is the fourth for the Irish, and first since 2017, when the Class of 2022 was in the eighth grade. Notre Dame Prep has advanced to the Final Four in each of the past four seasons, and was a finalist in 2018. But the promise of this class was truly met Saturday as it capped off a remarkable 64-1 season by hoisting the Finals trophy.
“It’s so hard to do,” said Notre Dame Prep coach Betty Wroubel, who has coached all four Finals champions. “I don’t think people realize how hard it is to get this far and win. Anything can happen along the way. You need a little bit of luck, you need a lot of skill and you need a team that's going to persevere through adversity no matter what – injuries, officials calls or other teams that get hot against you – it doesn’t really matter, you have to be able to overcome that. I think this team’s mental toughness was awesome.”
The Irish, who are ranked fifth nationally and handed Division 1 champion Bloomfield Hills Marian its lone defeat, featured nine seniors. While standouts such as Bloom and Aly Borellis and Bianca Giglio deservedly get a lot of the credit, it was a late moment when reserve senior Leah Greif was inserted into the match and able to be on the court for the final points that garnered some of the loudest applause. She made it count with a perfect pass that led to a point.
“It’s awesome, because they work their butts off all season, too, along with all the starters,” Bloom said. “I think they definitely deserve a chance, and it’s awesome to see them succeed in a game like this.”
Bloom led the Notre Dame Prep defense with 20 digs, while Borellis led the attack with 17 kills and 13 assists. Giglio added 10 kills, while Margo Sudzina had 19 assists, and Elyssa Wallace had 17 digs.
While the Irish were senior-led, North Branch (46-9) was led mostly by its sophomore class.
The Broncos will graduate a single senior – Gracie Hyde – and the experience gained on the weekend is something coach Jim Fish believes will be of great value for the program as it also looks to get back to the top of Division 2. North Branch has won three titles itself, the latest coming in 2016.
“You can put it on the calendar; we will be back next year – we will be here,” Fish said. “They got a taste of it, we had a great weekend, we had a great time in this match. When the third game started, I told them, ‘Ladies, I’m having the time of my life and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. So, let’s just enjoy this.’ Our 10 sophomores against their 10 seniors, that’s two years difference. We played OK; they’re just a very good team. I give them all the credit, they’ve earned it, and they’ve waited four years to get it.”
Adrienne Greschaw had 19 assists for North Branch, with Natasha Bickel (seven) and Kaela Chingwa (six) leading the team in kills. Hailey Green had 18 digs for the Broncos, and Alana Deshetsky added 15.
“I would love to play them at full strength – that's not an excuse,” Fish said. “My outside (Deshetsky) couldn’t jump, she has two bad knees. My defensive kid (Hyde) couldn’t move. The result might be the same, so I’m not taking anything away. We knew we were up against it, we knew they were skilled at every position and it was a tall task. We had a great night (in the Semifinal win against Lakewood), and that’s what we’re going to rest our head on. They want to be here next year. They’re already talking about it.”
PHOTOS (Top) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep celebrates its Division 2 championship Saturday night at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) The Fighting Irish’s Bianca Giglio (9) sends a kill attempt at a North Branch block including Natasha Bickel (15). (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)