'Better' Plymouth Christian Becomes Best
November 19, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BATTLE CREEK – “Better the ball” as a volleyball phrase means adding something to improve a volley with every touch.
But it also was appropriate as Plymouth Christian’s adopted rallying cry this fall.
The Eagles came to their second straight Class D Semifinals at Kellogg Arena this weekend ranked No. 1 for the second year in a row. Last year, they didn’t make it to Saturday. But this time Plymouth Christian did advance – and then “bettered” itself one more time on the final day of this season.
Facing a familiar foe in friendly league rival Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, the Eagles clinched an unexpected deciding match in their season series – and with it, their first MHSAA championship by a score of 3-1.
“Last year, it was kinda new and it was more stressful because we’d never been in this situation before. So this year, we knew coming into it how our attitudes should be – that we should just treat it like any other game and give our all on everything,” Plymouth Christian junior hitter Grace Kellogg said. “We just needed to side out on the key points and not fall down or get down in tough situations or (over) things that we mess up. Just stay strong and tough the whole time.”
Plymouth Christian (35-11-3) had played in a championship match once before, falling to Battle Creek St. Philip in the 2010 Class D Final. In fact, the Eagles on Saturday became the first other than St. Philip or Leland to win Class D since 2004.
Last season they fell in a four-set Semifinal to St. Philip, with three of those sets decided by two points each.
“Last year, that’s what we ran into: experience,” said Plymouth Christian coach D.J. Kellogg, who’s also the father of Grace and freshman middle Gabriella Kellogg. “Had we gotten three points to go a different way last year, the match was ours.
“It came down to serving, and tipping and playing not to lose. This year the focus was, knowing that, let’s not come back with the deer in the headlights (look). Let’s go out and be aggressive.”
That started with aggressive scheduling. Ten of the 11 losses came to Class A or B schools, including Class A No. 1 Novi and No. 2 Clarkston and Class B No. 3 North Branch (and the Eagles beat Class B No. 2 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep). All of that helped prepare them for a Class D tournament run that included wins over No. 2 Mendon, No. 4 Lansing Christian and No. 10 North Adams-Jerome.
“We knew technically we had what it took,” Kellogg added. “It’s going to be more having the slight edge and a mental edge; that was going to be the thing that would push us over.”
Oakland Christian (43-5-5), of course, was the only non-A or B opponent to deal the Eagles a loss. After falling to Plymouth Christian 3-1 in their first meeting, the Lancers took the second 3-2 to force a shared title in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue.
After Plymouth Christian won the first set 25-18 on Saturday, Oakland Christian tied it up by claiming the second 25-22. But the Eagles found their "edge" after that, winning the third and fourth sets by identical 25-19 scores.
“It’s a little bit intimidating, having the past with them. … I think we both came in a little nervous, but pretty confident overall,” Oakland Christian senior Alexandra Gudobba said. “We respect each other as a team, and if anyone had to win, I guess I’m happy it’s them.”
Part of that “edge” Kellogg spoke of was anticipating better the variety of shots Oakland Christian has used – Kellogg called the Lancers one of the smartest teams his has faced because of its ability to find corners and tips. Senior libero Divna Roi played the biggest part in foiling those well-placed shots, finishing the match with 24 digs, tied for sixth-most in MHSAA Finals history.
The Kelloggs – who got their training “breaking stuff for years around our house playing volleyball,” according to Dad – led the offensive attack. Grace had 21 kills and Gabriella 13 taking passes from senior Jessica Paulson (18 assists) and junior Abigail Pray (26).
Gudobba led the Lancers with 14 kills and 16 digs, and senior Samantha Morse had 28 assists.
Although not in victory, the match provided a successful end for longtime Oakland Christian coach Priscilla Larned, who will retire with a record of 989-459-81 over 32 seasons. She also coached basketball, softball and soccer at the school, with Saturday’s the first championship match ever for her volleyball team. Oakland Christian entered this tournament ranked No. 6 in Class D.
“I was thinking about all the Saturdays I’m going to sleep in,” Larned joked after. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to make a laugh here somehow.
"It’ll be different. I’m a coach who never got to play in high school, and it’s been a great time coaching. It’s been a great era to coach. But I see the need for me to go on, and somebody else come in and bring more enthusiasm and get it going again.”
After last season’s near-miss, Plymouth Christian tried hard to not make a return to Battle Creek the goal for this fall. Coach Kellogg reasoned that if the Class D title were the goal, his players could feel like it was slipping away if they hit a lull during the four-month season.
Instead they focused on the process – bettering the ball daily to be the best at the end.
“Every interaction we have with our team, every touch of the ball on the court or off the court, every contact that we have we should be adding value to each other and adding value to the game and to the team,” Kellogg said. “And this team’s done that.
“This is the by-product. … They’ve had each others' backs the entire time, and that’s the kind of team that wins.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Plymouth Christian hoists its first MHSAA volleyball championship trophy Saturday. (Middle) Grace Kellogg goes for a kill for the Eagles with Genna Castillo (13) and Samantha Morse (16) defending the net for Oakland Christian.
Leland Takes Title as St. Phil Streak Ends
November 21, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BATTLE CREEK – A championship trophy wrapped in her arms Saturday, minutes after one of the most memorable wins in recent MHSAA Volleyball Tournament history, Leland senior Maddie Trumbull said she would remember those post-match moments for the rest of her life.
And she’ll surely recall from time to time what it took over the last two years for her Comets to end the longest volleyball championship streak in MHSAA history.
A year after falling in the Final that would give Battle Creek St. Philip its record ninth-straight Class D title, Leland ended the Tigers’ dominance one win short of a decade with a 3-0 sweep – 25-20, 25-23, 25-23 – at Battle Creek's Kellogg Arena.
It probably wasn’t the mix expected to take down mighty St. Philip, whose championship streak also was tied for 10th longest in national girls volleyball history. Surrounding Trumbull on the Kellogg Arena floor were a mix of seniors and juniors, but also a sophomore and two freshmen.
But from the first point Saturday morning, the Comets got a feeling they could be champions by the afternoon for the first time since 2006 – the last season before the Tigers’ streak began.
“Being in the final four and losing in the state final last year gave us motivation right off the bat,” said Trumbull, who also was a top hitter for teams that made it to Battle Creek in 2014 and 2013. “We started thinking last year, let’s make it to the state finals (again). Let’s beat them. Let’s beat their streak. We’ve been working since day one; that was our goal, and we met our goal.”
The championship was the fifth for Leland (49-7-4) to go with six runner-up finishes. The sweep was the Comets’ six of this tournament; total, they won 24 sets and gave up only two over the last three weeks.
But the success wasn’t without some adjustments – even between Thursday’s Semifinal win over Crystal Falls Forest Park and Saturday morning’s start.
Leland, which came into the postseason ranked No. 3, didn’t pass well enough against the Trojans to employ all of its offensive options. But they cleaned up the passing for St. Philip, and four players had at least five kills, let by Trumbull’s 14 and six more apiece by freshman Allie Martin and senior ViAnna Hennig.
Freshman setter Ella Siddall found her groove leading the attack, and also had four of the team’s eight aces.
Martin and Siddall were team managers for the Comets for two seasons before joining the varsity as players this fall. Both impressed longtime coach Laurie Glass again Saturday – Siddall for making the necessary adjustments to set a great match, and Martin for continuing to play "fearlessly."
“They had been in the gym. We felt there were lots of good things to come,” said Glass, who completed her 21st season leading the program. “Did I think we could win a state championship with two freshmen? I sure was hoping we would.”
The Tigers did all they could to rally at various points throughout the Final, be it during Vicky Groat’s timeouts during Leland runs or senior Abby McKinzie’s rallying of her teammates throughout.
The four-year St. Phil standout finished with 14 kills and 17 digs, but the Tigers never could get completely out in front. Siddall ended the two-point second-set win with an ace. Trumbull decided the two-point third-set win with a kill.
St. Philip, No. 2 entering the tournament, finished 46-17-2 after defeating top-ranked Plymouth Christian in its Semifinal. The Tigers won the title in 2014 after also entering the playoffs ranked lower than No. 1 – and Groat said the inevitable end of the streak was always in the back of her mind, going back to St. Phil’s first repeat attempt nearly a decade a go.
“You never know. You can’t take it for granted. And every team is different,” Groat said “I’m thinking back the other day to the first team that started this; they’re married and have kids. They’re all different girls. They’re all different individuals, and they all just come together as a team.
“The streak is going to end some time. ... There's no shame in losing for the championship. I think of all the teams, I’ve had the most fun with this group of girls. And I feel bad for that, that I'm going to miss that group. Abby feels bad like she let me down. Nobody let me down. If anything, I let you guys down because I didn’t win it for you. I would never feel that they let me down, ever.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Leland players hoist the school’s first volleyball championship trophy since 2006. (Middle) St. Philip’s Morgan Luoma dives during a dig attempt; she finished with a team-high 20 digs.