Change Keeps Byron Center Raising Game
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
October 9, 2020
BYRON CENTER – The Byron Center volleyball team switched leagues this season, from the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green to the O-K White.
It’s been a change for the better.
The Bulldogs won conference and District championships last season, then was relocated to a conference that includes perennial state powerhouses Grand Rapids Christian and Lowell, as well as Forest Hills Central.
“This change for our conference was huge,” Byron Center senior libero Abby Boyle said. “Our past conference had some really great competition, but this year it’s really been a step up. It’s really been preparing us for some tougher games, and hopefully it will help us move forward past Districts and past Regionals and really make it far this year.”
Despite the increased level of competition, the Bulldogs have held their own.
They have been ranked as high as No. 2 in Division 1 and are currently 11-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference after suffering a tough five-set loss to top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian on Tuesday.
“It’s been a really good experience playing against the tougher teams,” senior middle hitter Anna Butler said. “When you play the harder teams, you really want to step up your game and you want to play to your highest potential. It has pushed us to be better every practice, and we’ve really improved every match.”
The Bulldogs returned nine players from last year, and the experience has helped the team thrive despite the decrease in games and early outdoor practices due to the current pandemic.
“Overall they’ve played very well, and we’ve competed against some very good teams,” Byron Center coach Katie Vander Meer said. “We beat Lowell, which is one of the top three teams in the state, and our two losses came against Grand Rapids Christian, which finished back-to-back state runner-up and is ranked No. 1. Forest Hills Central is another tough competitor.
“The girls are playing a very high level of volleyball, which is impressive to see with as little volleyball as we’ve played. We’ve only played 13 matches so far in comparison to a normal year where we would have 20-something in by now. I think where we’re at is very good.”
The Bulldogs led 2-1 in their match against Christian, but couldn’t close it out.
Vander Meer said lessons continue to be learned from those narrow defeats.
“I think we did a lot of things very well, but I think the wheels came off a little in the fifth set,” she said. “Obviously we came up short, but I think we are learning a lot from playing a team like that. I think we’re growing from playing a team like that, and I think we’re just going to keep getting better.”
The Bulldogs have been paced by Boyle and Butler, as well as juniors Taylor Humphrey (outside hitter) and Cierra Laska (setter).
Boyle leads the team with 190 digs.
“We have a great defensive foundation between Abby and defensive specialists Amanda Hilliker and Sara Zimmerlee,” Vander Meer said. “Their ability to read hitters and dig balls keeps us in games.”
Humphrey (179 kills) and Butler (102 kills) have provided solid play at the net.
“Offensively, they are our go-to hitters and can put balls away from anywhere on the court,” Vander Meer said. “Not to mention being helpful defensively with their ability to block balls. Marie Baar, Ryen Karel and Makenzi Bennett have stepped up in starting roles and have helped contribute to the front row.”
Laska has emerged as a dual threat for the Bulldogs with 258 assists and 41 kills.
“She has done a great job running our offense as well as being an offensive threat,” Vander Meer said. “Freshman Caroline Baker has also stepped up both defensively and in the setting role to allow more flexibility in our offense.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for four years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTO: Byron Center senior libero Abby Boyle has been among catalysts during the team’s 11-2 start. (Photo courtesy of the Byron Center volleyball program.)
Top-Ranked Northville Cooking Up More Historic Possibilities After 2022 Finals Run
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
September 14, 2023
NORTHVILLE – Northville head volleyball coach Sarah Lindstrom often likes to have themes for her teams going into a season.
After the program made its first appearance in an MHSAA Final last year, Lindstrom let members of each class on her team try and come up with their own theme going into the start of this year, and then a vote was taken by the squad to select the best one.
So, what was the winning theme chosen by the team?
“Let us cook,” as chosen by the junior class.
“I thought it was fun,” said senior libero Ashlee Gnau, who was one of the many girls who voted for that theme. “I really did like it.”
The team plays on that theme when offensive and defensive players of each match are awarded giant forks or spoons.
“We know last year by missing it as close as we did, that we have to put in even more work,” Lindstrom said. “They essentially want everyone to know that they are not going to be sitting at the dinner table. They are the ones that are going to be serving the meal.”
So far, the Mustangs have served up lots of wins and what’s believed to be a historic ranking.
Northville enters Thursday with a 14-1 record and is currently ranked No. 1 in the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association Division 1 poll.
Lindstrom believes it’s the first time the program has been ranked No. 1, and the team has tried to strike a balance between being proud but also knowing championships aren’t won in September.
“The first thing I said was that: ‘We’re ranked No. 1, but I can guarantee you we’re not going to be ranked No. 1 the whole year,’” Lindstrom said. “‘When that happens, let’s not freak out about it. It’s not a big deal.’”
Northville may or may not be ranked No. 1 the rest of the year; but regardless, it’s obviously on the short list of Division 1 title contenders.
The Mustangs return 10 players from their team that lost to Bloomfield Hills Marian in the 2022 championship match. Five are college-bound. Junior setter Ella Craggs has committed to Illinois State, junior outside hitter Mallory Reck has committed to Marist, middle hitter Avry Nelson has pledged to Eckerd College in Florida, senior libero Greta McKee has committed to Wright State and Gnau has committed to Syracuse.
Following the loss to Marian in the Final, then-senior Abby Reck left some departing words for the returning group, essentially saying they would be back in Battle Creek in 2023 because they know what it takes now.
“This year, we have a lot of returners and so many people who fill in so many shoes that we lost last year,” Gnau said. “I think learning from that experience, you’re going to have a huge target on your back, but you’re more prepared for the pressure. It was an amazing experience. Being that close last year makes us want to win it all this year.”
Lindstrom noted the experience from last year’s run seems to have paid dividends already, especially in a win at No. 3 Clarkston earlier this fall.
“Our starting middle blew her ankle four points into that game,” she said. “We had a player out on the court who had never played all year and wasn’t even on the team last year. Because she was surrounded by so many other kids (who) have played in that type of pressure, it just makes us a big force.”
So big of a force that don’t be surprised if Northville cooks and serves up the school’s first volleyball state championship come November.
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties
PHOTOS (Top) Northville’s Avry Nelson (6) winds up for a kill attempt during last season’s Division 1 Final against Bloomfield Hills Marian. (Middle) Ella Craggs sets for a teammate at Kellogg Arena.