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.”

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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).