Covenant Christian Stands Tall in Class C
November 23, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BATTLE CREEK – Denise Uittenbogaard felt all season she had a special team. But not until Grand Rapids Covenant Christian eliminated No. 2 Morley-Stanwood in the Regional Final did the Chargers’ coach begin to understand what could be accomplished.
Next fell No. 4 Unionville-Sebewaing in the Quarterfinal. Then top-ranked Mendon took only one game before succumbing to Covenant Christian in Friday’s Semifinal.
By the time Uittenbogaard and her players reached Saturday’s championship game against No. 3 Beal City, the No. 8 Chargers were used to playing – and beating Class C’s best.
And after dispatching the rest, Covenant Christian finished Saturday standing alone with the champion’s trophy. The Chargers finished their first trip to Finals weekend with a history-making four-set win over the Aggies – 25-21, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17.
“We did it. I don’t know how. We weren’t supposed to win. And we came in and we did,” Covenant Christian senior Alyssa Scholten said. “Our coach is like, ‘They are the same age as you. They play the same game as you. What are you afraid of? Go in and take it. It’s yours to take.’
“We took it.”
Covenant Christian finished 47-9 after entering the tournament coming off a pair of late losses to Class B Finalist Grand Rapids South Christian and Class A honorable mention Grand Rapids Christian – but with an imposing front line prepared to dominate after surviving a competitive regular season slate.
The 6-foot-2 Scholten had at least three inches on every one of Beal City’s players Saturday and finished with 13 kills and eight blocks – the latter tying an MHSAA Finals rally-scoring era record.
Alongside her, 5-10 senior Shelby Lubbers also had 13 kills and 5-9 senior Cailey DeJong and 5-9 sophomore Makenzie Engelsma added eight and six, respectively.
The Aggies did lead the first set 21-18 at one point and the second set 11-10 before winning the third. And they had an all-state hitter as well in 5-10 Addie Schumacher, who finished with 15 kills and five blocks.
But together, the Chargers were just too strong at the net, with Lubbers getting four of her kills during the fourth set including the final on a cross-court smash.
“We had some crucial blocks to stop their offense; I think that was the key of the third game,” Beal City coach Kelly David said. “But they found a way around our block, and that was tough on our defense.”
“These girls have an amazing sense of determination. They encourage each other, motivate each other to play hard, practice hard, and that’s what got us here,” Uittenbogaard said. “That third game we had a little breakdown. We had to relax a little bit. ... (And) when it came down to it, they came out in that fourth game and they were not going to go home without this trophy.”
Covenant Christian took its first few minutes at Kellogg Arena this weekend to soak in the atmosphere for the first time. Beal City was in similar position only a season ago, when it made its first MHSAA Final before losing to Battle Creek St. Philip in Class D.
Whether in Class C again or back in D, the Aggies could be headed back to Battle Creek in 2014. Senior Melanie Schafer added 17 digs and six kills Saturday. But she and Schumacher are two of only four seniors on a team that finished 56-4-1.
Junior setter Jenna Theisen had 26 assists, junior hitter Jordan Schneider had seven kills and four blocks, and junior hitter Nicole Gross also had six kills.
“I just think they weren’t satisfied with last year, so they really wanted to come in this year and win the state championship,” David said. “We fell a little bit short. But they gave it all they had, and I’m proud of the way they played.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids Covenant Christian players celebrate after clinching their first MHSAA championship. (Middle) Covenant Christian’s Shelby Lubbers reaches over the net to block Beal City’s Jenna Theisen (10). (Below) Theisen and Addie Schumacher (8) block a Chargers kill attempt.
Experienced Lineup Pacing Manistique's Strong Start, Pursuit of Big Finish
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 11, 2022
MANISTIQUE — After achieving its first major goal, the Manistique volleyball team is looking for more this season.
The Emeralds clinched the Mid-Peninsula Conference title Oct. 4 by sweeping Negaunee. They opened this fall by winning the Kingsford Invitational Aug. 20. Their only losses took place in semifinal matches against Kingsford at the Marquette Invitational on Sept. 24 and against Charlevoix in three sets at the Rayders’ invitational a week earlier.
Manistique has been receiving honorable mention in the state Division 3 rankings, and the Indian River Inland Lakes Invitational this Saturday will provide an opportunity to potentially see not only the Division 4 No. 4 Bulldogs, but also bigger schools like Alpena, Petoskey and Sault Ste. Marie.
All should be good preparation for the Emeralds, who host their Division 3 District next month after reaching the District Final a year ago.
“We’ve really improved from the opening tournament,” said coach Amy Nixon, who took over the program in 2008. “I think our offense has really stepped up and become more dominant. I think we’ll be able to run more plays which will help us down the road.
"Last year we lost to Iron Mountain in the District. Most of the girls are back from last season. We’re looking forward to finishing what we started last season.”
Senior Nora Cunningham and juniors Ella Schuetter and Emma Jones all earned all-region honors last season. Cunningham, an outside hitter, served for four aces in the Emeralds’ 25-15, 25-9, 25-9 triumph at Westwood two weeks ago.
"Serving is one of our strengths,” she said. “We make it a priority. When we serve well, good things happen."
Jones, a setter, collected 26 assists and senior Kelsey Muth added 11 subbing against the Patriots. Jones has eclipsed 1,000 career assists this season.
“I have a lot of responsibility as a setter,” said Jones. “I set up all the plays (in a 5-1 offense), although I definitely couldn’t do it without my teammates. I think our communication has gotten better during the season. I certainly think all the time we put in during the summer gave us confidence coming into this season.”
“Communication was a factor in our loss to Charlevoix,” added senior middle hitter Sarah McDaniel. “We just have to make sure to control what we can control. In our loss to Kingsford, I think we learned to pick up our communication when times are hard. We definitely have a lot of depth on this team. Everybody is ready to go.”
Schuetter, a middle hitter, has made all-tournament teams at Marquette and Charlevoix this season, joined by Jones at the latter.
“We have real good chemistry” she said. “The most improvement I’ve seen is our drive and commitment as a team.”
Tonight’s match against Gwinn is one of five remaining along with the Inland Lakes tournament before the regular season ends. The Emeralds did earn a sweep against Iron Mountain on Sept. 19 and could see the Mountaineers again in a District rematch, with Bark River-Harris, Gwinn and Menominee also in the bracket.
“We always want to play hard competition and show who we are,” Cunningham said. “Being able to overcome adversity has been a highlight to our season. That shows how much fight this team has.”
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 Manistique celebrates its league championship-clinching win Oct. 4. (Photo courtesy of the Manistique volleyball program.)