![Clarkton Everest Collegiate’s Sarah Bradley takes a big swing on a kill attempt during Saturday’s Division 4 Final at Kellogg Arena.](/sites/default/files/2023-11/231118_D4_2H.jpg)
Everest Collegiate Begins Championship Era as Another Ends for Leland Legend
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 18, 2023
BATTLE CREEK – With the biggest serves of her volleyball career in front of her Saturday, Sarah Bradley did what she always does – took a deep breath and came through for Clarkston Everest Collegiate.
The junior served out the final three points of the Division 4 championship match, including a match-point ace to give the Moutaineers a five-set victory and their first Finals title.
“I believe very much in taking a deep breath when I’m serving and zoning everything out,” Bradley said. “In my head, I’m like, ‘All for you, God. All for you.’ Then I take a deep breath and I serve. Every single time. So I was very confident, and I went out there and did it.”
Bradley’s final ace put an exclamation point on an improbable comeback, as Everest trailed 2 sets to none, and 10-3 in the fifth before winning 24-26, 18-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-13.
It also capped off a historic season for the 10th-ranked Moutaineers, who hadn’t won a Regional title prior to this season, let alone compete in Kellogg Arena. They more than made their mark in their first trip, with a pair of 0-2 comebacks, including a Semifinal win Friday over top-ranked Adrian Lenawee Christian.
“I’m blown away by these girls,” first-year Everest coach Danielle Walker said. “To come back two days in a row from two sets down. It’s just amazing.”
Playing five sets twice certainly wasn’t the plan for the Moutaineers, but they didn’t shrink in the moment despite having never been on this stage.
“We knew we had done it before, we knew it’s been done in the state Finals before, and we trust in ourselves,” said junior Madelyn Krappmann. “We trust in our ability as a team and in each other. We know our strengths, we know our weaknesses and we know how to adapt to the other team’s strengths and weaknesses. We really just dug in, took a deep breath and said, ‘All right, we did it yesterday, we can do it today.’ And that’s what we did.”
It looked early in the fifth set that the rally in sets 3 and 4 may have been for naught. Leland jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead and had stretched it to 10-3 before Everest was able to find its way back in.
The Comets took a 13-11 lead when Kelsey Allen and Abby Hicks teamed up for a block of Bradley. She came back immediately with a kill, however, and then served out the match.
“Honestly, it got me even more motivated,” Bradley said. “They blocked me, but I just kept going. I believe in myself, and I trust myself to get over it. Me and (junior setter Erica Walker) talked about what we were going to do different. It just all fit together. I got out there with all the confidence I can, because that’s how I know I can play my best.”
Bradley finished with a match-high 31 kills, tied for sixth all-time in a Finals match. Walker finished with 57 assists, tied for second all-time. The 64 team kills for the Mountaineers (32-4-2) are tied for fourth all-time.
“My little thing is, I want to succeed so my hitters can succeed,” said Walker, who didn’t start playing volleyball for Everest until this season, and was also a Finals qualifier in cross country. “I want them to have the spotlight, and in order to do that, I have to have good sets. I play with three of the best hitters that I’ve ever seen. To be able to set them up and see them succeed makes me so happy.”
While this weekend served as an introduction to the rest of the state for Everest – the Mountaineers are set to bring back all six starters in 2024 and graduate one senior – it was goodbye from a legend on the other side.
Leland coach Laurie Glass, who has amassed more than 1,100 wins and three Finals titles in her 29 years leading the Comets, announced after the match that it was her last, and that assistant Travis Baker would be taking over.
“I’ve known all along that I wanted to see this group through and be there with them in this moment,” she said. “I’m proud to be from Leland. I’m proud to have coached at Leland, and I couldn’t have gone out in a better way. I wanted the season to be about them, 100 percent. I didn’t want to have big farewells and have a farewell tour of Laurie Glass’ coaching career. I wanted them to have their season. It’s time. It’s time to move on and pass the torch to Travis Baker, who really is the reason this season has gone as well as it has.”
The Comets finished Glass’ final season 41-17-2, and did so fielding a team of just seven players, five of whom were seniors.
While they didn’t know Glass was stepping down until after the match, they very nearly sent her out with a fourth title. Getting to raise a runner-up trophy wasn’t a bad way to go out, though.
“There’s a lot of teams out there that would give their eye teeth to have this moment, even if they were crying,” Glass said. “There were only two teams left in the state, and we were one of them. I don’t think that’s a horrible thing.”
Fiona Moord led Leland with 17 kills, while Shelby Plamondon and Allen both had 12. Olive Ryder had 10 kills and 21 digs, Hicks had 45 assists and Mallory Lowe had 18 digs.
Krappman had 20 kills for Everest, while Addison Pearce added 11. Krappman and Bradley both had 18 digs, while Samantha Pietras had 15.
PHOTOS (Top) Clarkton Everest Collegiate’s Sarah Bradley takes a big swing on a kill attempt during Saturday’s Division 4 Final at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) The Mountaineers’ Madelyn Krappmann sends a kill attempt toward a pair of Leland blockers. (Below) Everest sets up its offense. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
![](/sites/default/files/imported/Photos/111116_LakeOrionVB.jpg)
Ready, Set, MHSAA Finals!
December 16, 2011
This weekend’s MHSAA Volleyball Finals field includes teams that seem to show up in the championship rounds every season.
Battle Creek St. Philip will be at Kellogg Arena, going for its sixth straight championship. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central also is a reigning champion, in Class C, as is Fruitport in Class B. And Marysville is back in Class B too, hoping to add its 10th MHSAA title.
That said, eight of the 16 teams still alive this weekend will be playing for their first MHSAA championship game appearance.
There will be plenty of star power – six of 10 Miss Volleyball finalists have helped their teams get to Battle Creek. And there’s even an undefeated team: Class D Crystal Falls Forest Park has won all of its matches but four, which ended in ties.
Below is a look at all 16 teams playing this weekend. Class A and D Semifinals are tonight, with Class B and C on Friday and all four Finals on Saturday. All four Semifinals and the Class A and B Finals will be streamed live at FoxSportsDetroit.com, with all of those games plus the Class C and D Finals then archived at MHSAA.tv. Click here for a full schedule.
Tickets cost $6 for Semifinals and $7 for Finals, with a Semifinal-Final ticket available for $15.
(NOTE: Rankings are those published by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association. Player statistics, except for Rockford’s, do not include Quarterfinals. East Grand Rapids' stats are through only 44 matches.)
Class A
CLARKSTON
Record/rank: 55-5, No. 3
Coach: Kelly Avenall, ninth season (302-102-18)
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship game history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-0 and 2-0 over No. 10 Birmingham Seaholm, 2-1 over No. 7 Temperance Bedford, 3-2 over No. 5 Canton (Quarterfinal), 2-0 and 2-0 over Class B No. 4 North Branch.
Top players: Stephanie Marani, 6-1 sr. MH (417 kills, .560 hitting %, 148 blocks); Brianna Frakes, 5-9 soph. S (1,127 assists, 106 aces); Rachel Dickerson, 5-9 jr. OH (420 kills, 460 digs)
Finals forecast: Clarkston graduated two players with all-state honors after last season, and still stormed out to a 36-0 start. Two of the losses were to Semifinal opponent Lake Orion, but Clarkston also beat the Dragons once. The Wolves have been building toward a historic finish – they’ve won five straight league and District titles and two straight Regional championships, and enter this weekend with their most wins and first Semifinal berth in Avenall’s nine seasons. Senior Madison Lightfoot is a significant presence at libero with 845 digs heading into Tuesday.
LAKE ORION
Record/rank: 53-12-3, unranked
Coach: Bob Howey, sixth season (184-113-40)
League finish: Second in OAA Red
Championship game history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 2-1 and 2-1 over No. 3 Clarkston, 2-0, 2-0 and 3-1 (Regional semifinal) over No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Marian, 2-1, 2-0 and 3-2 (Quarterfinal) over No. 9 Macomb Dakota, 2-1 over No. 6 Richland Gull Lake, 2-1 over No. 2 Rockford, 3-1 over No. 10 Birmingham Seaholm,
Top players: Liz Kalugar, 5-9 sr. OH (401 kills); Shannon Murdock, 6-0 sr. OH (551 kills, .329 hitting %, 64 aces, 71 blocks); Gwen Motley, 5-8 sr. S (1,195 assists).
Finals forecast: It’s fair to say Lake Orion faced nearly every elite team on the east side of the state this season, and some from the west side as well. Not mentioned among wins above are two over Class B No. 4 North Branch and another over Class B No. 3 Fruitport. Murdock earned an all-state honorable mention as a junior and teams with Kalugar for a dynamic attack, but Lake Orion also stands tall in the middle with 6-3 junior Sophie Murdock and 5-10 senior Angelica LeDonne – both have more than 100 blocks this fall. Senior libero Maddie Hutchison can be counted on in the back, with 912 digs and 60 aces heading into the week.
ROCKFORD
Record/rank: 58-8, No. 2
Coach: Kelly Delacher, seventh season (278-131-11)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Red
Championship game history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 2-0 over No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Marian, 2-0 and 2-1 over No. 10 Birmingham Seaholm, 3-0, 2-1, 2-0 and 2-1 over No. 8 East Kentwood, 2-0 and 3-1 (Quarterfinal) over No. 6 Richland Gull Lake, 2-0 over Class B No. 1 Plainwell.
Top players: Murphy Heyer, 5-11 sr. OH (380 kills, 326 digs); Andrea Kacsits, 6-5 sr. MH (533 kills, .400 hitting %, 126 blocks, 106 aces); Halle Peterson, 5-9 sr. S (1,359 assists, 89 aces); Jessica Majerle, 6-0 sr. OH (361 kills, .308 hitting %).
Finals forecast: The Rams are loaded with veterans, with the 6-5 Kacsits and Peterson making the all-state first team as juniors, Majerle making the second team and Heyer coming off an honorable mention. Kacsits and Peterson both were Miss Volleyball finalists and have signed with Ohio State and Michigan State, respectively. Rockford also has seen many of the state’s top teams, with two more wins over Class B ranked Livonia Ladywood and Lakewood, one over Class D No. 1 Battle Creek St. Philip and one against Class A semifinalist Lake Orion.
TEMPERANCE BEDFORD
Record/rank: 65-10-1, No. 7
Coach: Jodi Manore, 27th season (1,614-269-45)
League finish: First in Southeastern Conference Red
Championship game history: Three championships (most recently 2005), four runner-up finishes
Best wins: 2-1 over No. 10 Birmingham Seaholm, 2-0 over Class B No. 4 North Branch, 2-0 over Class C No. 1 Delton Kellogg.
Top players: Emily Blank, 6-3 sr. OH (614 kills, .375 hitting %, 478 digs); Ellen Hays, 5-7 jr. L (1,157 digs), Emily Williams, 5-11 sr. OH (482 kills, 445 digs); Amanda Swisher, 5-5 sr. S (1,657 assists).
Finals forecast: The Kicking Mules won their 23rd District title in 27 seasons under Manore, who is second on the MHSAA list for volleyball career coaching wins. Her team saw many of the state’s best from multiple classes, also notching wins over Class B ranked Livonia Ladywood, Coldwater and Mount Morris and Class C ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic. Blank was a Miss Volleyball candidate coming off an all-state first-team selection in 2010, when Hays made the third team.
Class B
EAST GRAND RAPIDS
Record/rank: 42-7, No. 2
Coach: Christine Grunewald, first season (42-7)
League finish: First in O-K White
Championship game history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 2-0, 2-0, 3-1 and 3-1 (Regional semifinal) over No. 8 Lakewood; 2-0 and 3-0 (Quarterfinal) over No. 1 Plainwell, 2-0, 2-0 and 2-1 over Class A No. 8 East Kentwood; 2-1 over Class A No. 2 Rockford.
Top players: Betsy Ronda, 6-0 sr. OH (394 kills, 205 digs); Maeve McDonald, 5-6 soph. S (831 assists).
Finals forecast: Ronda was an all-state second-team pick as a junior and leads a dangerous attack that has taken down many of the best from the Grand Rapids area. Although Grunewald is in just her first season as East Grand Rapids’ head coach, she previously was an assistant. She also won 230 matches at Lakewood from 2005-08, taking the Vikings to the Semifinals in the 2006 fall season.
FRUITPORT
Record/rank: 48-8, No. 3
Coach: Nicole Bayle, fifth season (233-46)
League finish: First in Lakes 8 Activities Conference
Championship game history: Two championships (most recently 2010), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 2-0 over No. 2 East Grand Rapids, 2-1 and 2-0 over Class A No. 8 East Kentwood, 2-1 over Class C No. 1 Delton Kellogg.
Top players: Lauren Hazekamp, 5-7 sr. S (1,299 assists, .362 hitting %); Breanna Geile, 5-10 sr. OH (374 kills, 28.5 blocks).
Finals forecast: The reigning MHSAA champion opened this season with 16 straight match wins and closed the regular season with an 11-match victory streak. Hazekamp also set last season’s team in making the all-state first team, and Geile made the second team in 2010. Fruitport has a number of solid hitters, and 6-0 senior Rachael Folkmier is a big block in the middle. Hazekamp was a Miss Volleyball finalist.
MARYSVILLE
Record/rank: 49-9-4, unranked
Coach: Kristen Michaelis, first season (49-9-4)
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red
Championship game history: Nine championships (most recently 2006), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 2-1 and 3-0 over Class A No. 9 Macomb Dakota, 2-0 over Class D No. 2 Plymouth Christian.
Top players: Haylee Booms, 6-0 sr. MH (700 kills, .328 hitting %, 110 blocks); Jessica Martin, 5-7 jr. S (830 assists).
Finals forecast: Marysville players should remember the program’s string of eight straight MHSAA titles from 1997-2004. Michaelis played in the midst of that run, graduating in 2000, and took over fully this season amid the hospitalization of longtime coach John Knuth. Booms is a dominating hitter and has continued to build on last season’s all-state honorable mention. Two more hitters, senior Samantha and freshman Alison Bastianelli, measure 6-0 and 5-11, respectively, and 5-8 junior Taylor Hornbacher also joins those two with more than 200 kills.
TECUMSEH
Record/rank: 54-3-1, No. 6
Coach: Kerry Watkins, fifth season (204-43-19)
League finish: First in Southeastern Conference White
Championship game history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 2-0 and 3-2 over No. 7 Coldwater, 3-1 over No. 5 Carleton Airport (Quarterfinal).
Top players: Kelsey Berrington, 5-8 sr. OH (743 kills, .354 hitting %, 597 digs, 125 aces); Hannah Galloway, 5-11 soph. MH (320 kills, 132 blocks, .396 hitting %); Carly Tillotson, 5-9 sr. S (1,471 assists, 151 aces).
Finals forecast: Berrington made the all-state second team as a junior and is a formidable all-around player for a team that as a whole comes in with an impressive .312 hitting percentage. Tecumseh has won every game of its matches 41 times, and has just seven match losses total over the last two seasons.
Class C
CHARLEVOIX
Record/rank: 49-4-6, No. 7
Coach: Elizabeth Shaw, 11th season (380-137-68)
League finish: First in Lake Michigan Conference
Championship game history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 2-0 over No. 2 Morley-Stanwood, 2-0 over Class B No. 8 Lakewood, 3-1 over Class D No. 5 Leland.
Top players: Jenna Way, 5-7 sr. S (340 kills, .437 hitting %, 1,007 assists, 375 digs); Karley Pearsall, 5-10 jr. MH (263 kills, 97 blocks).
Finals forecast: Charlevoix is making its first trip to Finals weekend, and got there in part without giving up a game in six straight matches before Houghton took one in the Quarterfinal. Charlevoix saw most of the northern Lower Peninsula’s top teams, and also won twice against Onaway and four times against Pellston, both ranked in Class D.
DELTON KELLOGG
Record/rank: 47-10-1, No. 1
Coach: Jack Magelssen, seventh season (330-136-14)
League finish: First in Kalamazoo Valley Association
Championship game history: Class B runner-up in 2009.
Best wins: 2-0 and 3-1 (Quarterfinal) over No. 4 Bronson, 2-0 and 3-0 (Regional final) over No. 10 Mendon.
Top players: Adrianna Culbert, 6-0 sr. S/RS (861 kills, .504 hitting %, 385 assists, 132 blocks, 481 digs, 153 aces); Alisha VanderWoude, 6-1 jr. MB (235 kills, 136 blocks); Andrea Polley, 5-6 sr. S/RS (261 kills, 399 assists, 395 digs).
Finals forecast: Delton is led by the winningest coach in MHSAA volleyball history – Magelssen has 1,803 victories total over 33 seasons – and a returning all-stater in the multi-skilled Culbert. She was a Miss Volleyball finalist and has signed with Colorado State. The Panthers play in a league with Class B schools, and saw a number of others ranked in both Class A and B this fall.
MONROE ST. MARY CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 47-6, No. 3
Coach: Diane E. Tuller, 14th season (450-172-50)
League finish: First in Huron League
Championship game history: Three championships (most recently 2010), one runner-up finish
Best wins: 2-1 and 3-0 (Regional semifinal) over No. 5 Riverview Gabriel Richard, 2-1 and 3-0 (Regional final) over No. 6 Adrian Madison, 3-2 and 3-2 over Class B No. 5 Carleton Airport, 2-0 over Class D No. 2 Plymouth Christian.
Top players: Sarah Brent, 5-11 sr. OH (445 kills, .345 hitting %); Cassandra Haut, 6-0 fr. MH (237 kills, 149 blocks).
Finals forecast: St. Mary Catholic comes in plenty prepared to defend its MHSAA championship with four of the top five hitters from the 2010 Final victory over St. Louis. Brent was an all-state selection as a junior, and juniors Taylor Vuich (Right side hitter) and Alexis Thompson (libero) also received accolades during the championship run.
MORLEY-STANWOOD
Record/rank: 56-4-2, No. 2
Coach: Robin Kozuch, 10th season (449-99-11)
League finish: First in Central State Activities Association
Championship game history: Class C champion in 2007.
Best wins: 2-0 and 3-0 (Regional semifinal) over No. 8 Beal City, 2-1 over Class B No. 2 East Grand Rapids, 2-0 over Class B No. 5 Carleton Airport, 2-0 and 2-0 over Class A No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Marian.
Top players: Alexis Huntey, 6-2 sr. OH (845 kills, .405 hitting %, 703 digs); Bailey Cairnduff, 5-11 sr. S/RS (328 kills, 757 assists, 108 aces).
Finals forecast: Morley-Stanwood’s schedule was filled with Class A and B teams, and its record speaks for itself. Huntey, an all-state first-team pick in 2010 and 2009, was a Miss Volleyball finalist this fall and has signed with George Washington. Cairnduff earned an all-state honorable mention as a junior. The team has just five seniors, but those two and setter Melissa Holland anchor the starting lineup.
Class D
BATTLE CREEK ST. PHILIP
Record/rank: 57-4-2, No. 1
Coach: Vicky Groat, 14th season (770-168-73)
League finish: First in Southern Central Athletic Association
Championship game history: 16 championships (most recently 2010), eight runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 3-1 and 3-0 (Quarterfinal) over No. 2 Plymouth Christian, 2-1 and 2-0 over Class B No. 7 Coldwater, 2-0 and 2-1 over Class B No. 5 Carleton Airport, 2-0 over Class C No. 4 Bronson.
Top players: Amanda McKinzie, 6-1 jr. OH (583 kills, .480 hitting %), Sierra Hubbard Neil, 5-10 soph. OH (444 kills, .560 hitting %).
Finals forecast: St. Philip again is the favorite, going for its sixth straight MHSAA title and 11th consecutive championship game appearance. McKinzie and Hubbard Neil are returning all-state first teamers and Division I college prospects; McKinzie already has committed to sign with Virginia Tech next year. St. Philip also graduated an all-state setter last season, but junior Andrea Lesiow has stepped in and tallied more than 1,000 assists this fall.
CRYSTAL FALLS FOREST PARK
Record/rank: 36-0-4, unranked
Coach: Kim Bjork, sixth season (193-18-24)
League finish: First in Skyline Conference
Championship game history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-0 over Engadine (Regional semifinal), 3-1 over No. 8 Pellston (Quarterfinal).
Top players: Audrey Sholander, 5-7 sr. OH (184 kills, 11 digs, 60 aces); Alexis Gussert, 6-0 soph. MH (279 kills, 67 blocks), Tanner Bartczak, 5-10 sr. MH (199 kills).
Finals forecast: Sholander and Gussert were all-state third-team selections last season, and with Bartczak give the Trojans a veteran and talented front line. The program has won league and District titles every season under Bjork, and Regional titles five times. But nearly as impressive has been this season’s near-perfect record – aside from tournament play, Forest Park has lost only two games, to Pellston on Tuesday and Kingsford near the end of the regular season.
DECKERVILLE
Record/rank: 25-12-4, unranked
Coach: Carl Krumenacker, seventh season (121-128-23)
League finish: First in North Central Thumb League
Championship game history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-2 over No. 6 Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (Quarterfinal), 3-2 over Carsonville-Port Sanilac (District quarterfinal).
Top players: Kaleigh Spaetzel, 5-10 jr. OSH (410 kills, 144 blocks, 357 digs); Jenna Varosi-Garavaglia, 5-3 sr. S (444 assists, 413 digs).
Finals forecast: Deckerville has won five straight District titles and three straight Regional championships, but has booked this trip to Battle Creek with a team that includes eight juniors and two sophomores. The Eagles closed the regular season on an 0-5-2 skid and lost the first two games of the District opener. But they bounced back to win their next four postseason matches in three games.
WYOMING TRI-UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 38-13-2, unranked
Coach: Christa Anderson, third season (87-41-4)
League finish: First in River Valley Conference
Championship game history: Class D runner-up in 2007 winter season.
Best wins: 3-2 over No. 5 Leland (Quarterfinal), 3-1 over No. 7 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (Regional semifinal).
Top players: Alyssa Petrick, 5-8 jr. MB (671 kills, 98 blocks, 520 digs); Megan Petrick, 5-5 jr. S (998 assists, 90 aces, 91 blocks, 481 digs).
Finals forecast: More than half of Tri-unity Christian’s opponents were Class A or B schools, giving a team with only one senior plenty of experience heading into the tournament. There is some star power despite the youth, with Alyssa Petrick an all-state first-team pick last season and Megan Petrick a second-team selection. That lone senior, Anna Buffum, is the team leader in blocks (99) and second in kills (245).
PHOTO
Set it up: Lake Orion senior Dana Schrauben sets up junior teammate Sophie Murdock during last week's Regional win over Bloomfield Hills Marian. (Photo courtesy of Terry McNamara Photography.)