D1/4 Recap: Lake Orion Rallies to Advance
November 16, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Lake Orion will play for its first MHSAA volleyball championship Saturday.
The No. 2-ranked Dragons, previously Class A runners-up in 2011, downed top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy in five sets in their Semifinal on Friday to earn a spot in this season’s Division 1 Final at Kellogg Arena.
Senior Paige Briggs – a Miss Volleyball Award finalist this fall – had 43 kills as Lake Orion (67-6) twice fought back from one-set deficits. The 43 kills are tied for fifth-most in one match in MHSAA history.
The Dragons won the fourth set 25-20 and edged Mercy (52-3) in the final set 15-13.
Senior Wren Macaulay had 53 assists and three aces for Lake Orion. Junior Jess Mruzik led Mercy with 27 kills and three blocks, and sophomore Julia Bishop had 44 assists.
Division 1: Rockford 3, Northville 1
The No. 7 Rams won the final two sets to return to the championship match for the second time in three seasons after finishing runners-up in 2016.
Seniors Lindsay Taylor and Emmy Webb split the attack, Webb with 21 kills off a .514 kill percentage and Taylor with 20 kills. Senior Emilee Karelse had 52 assists for Rockford (47-11-1).
Northville, ranked No. 8 entering the postseason, was led by sophomore Jenna Boksha’s 11 kills plus 10 digs. Senior Gabriella Fisette had 24 assists for the Mustangs (47-7-1).
Division 4: Mendon 3, Southfield Christian 0
Mendon will play for its first championship since 2001 after a Semifinal performance that improved the No. 2 Hornets to 48-6-3.
Sophomore Anna Smith led Mendon both with 20 kills and nine digs, and senior Aubrey Crotser had 31 assists.
Junior Emily Van Dyke had 13 kills for No. 4 Southfield Christian (27-10-3), and junior Caitlin Warnshuis added 10. Senior Rachel Stiteler had 20 assists. The Semifinal was the first in Eagles program history.
Division 4: Leland 3, Carney-Nadeau 0
Leland’s powerful seniors led the way as the top-ranked Comets earned a chance to win their first championship since 2015.
Senior Ella Siddall had 34 assists and five aces, while senior Hanna Elwell had 17 kills for Leland (47-10-1).
Carney-Nadeau, also playing in its first Semifinal in this sport, got a big defensive performance from junior Alanis Harris, who had 22 digs. The No. 9 Wolves finished 26-4-1.
PHOTO: Lake Orion celebrates advancing to the Division 1 championship match after Friday’s Semifinal.
Quarterfinals Begin Championship Week for Volleyball's 32 Contenders
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 14, 2023
The final week of the 2023 girls volleyball season begins this evening with 16 MHSAA Quarterfinals across the state.
Winners in Divisions 2 and 3 will advance to Semifinals on Thursday at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena, with winners in Divisions 1 and 4 playing Semifinals on Friday. All four championship matches will be played Saturday at Kellogg.
All 16 matches, with start times and locations, are listed below. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased on GoFan. All 16 matches will be broadcast as well on MHSAA.tv and viewable with subscription; those individual broadcasts are linked below. Brackets and more are posted to the Volleyball page.
DIVISION 1
Grand Haven vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at Hudsonville, 6 p.m. – WATCH
Portage Northern vs. Northville at Ypsilanti Lincoln, 7 p.m. – WATCH
Macomb L’Anse Creuse North vs. Clarkston at St. Clair County Community College, 7:30 p.m. – WATCH
Farmington Hills Mercy vs. Bloomfield Hills Marian at Dearborn, 7 p.m. – WATCH
DIVISION 2
Milan vs. Dearborn Divine Child at Chelsea, 7 p.m. – WATCH
Ludington vs. Grand Rapids West Catholic at Fremont, 7 p.m. – WATCH
North Branch vs. Frankenmuth at St. Clair County Community College, 5:30 p.m. – WATCH
Grand Rapids Christian vs. Edwardsburg at Charlotte, 6 p.m. – WATCH
DIVISION 3
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central vs. Plymouth Christian Academy at Ypsilanti Lincoln, 5:30 p.m. – WATCH
Pewamo-Westphalia vs. Kalamazoo Christian at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 7 p.m. – WATCH
Cass City vs. Saginaw Valley Lutheran at New Lothrop, 6 p.m. – WATCH
Calumet vs. Traverse City St. Francis at Sault Ste. Marie, 6 p.m. – WATCH
DIVISION 4
St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic vs. Adrian Lenawee Christian at Portage Central, 6:30 p.m. – WATCH
Clarkston Everest Collegiate vs. Marlette at Fenton, 7 p.m. – WATCH
Leland vs. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart at Ferris State University, 6 p.m. – WATCH
Crystal Falls Forest Park vs. Newberry at Manistique, 7 p.m. – WATCH
PHOTO Clarkston libero Kiley Gallagher awaits an approaching hit during her team's Regional Semifinal win over Hartland last week. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)