Gabriel Richard Achieves Volleyball Perfection

November 21, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor 

BATTLE CREEK – Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard finished the final set of the 2015 MHSAA volleyball season Saturday evening the same way it finished every match beginning in mid-August. 

As the winner.

Gabriel Richard became the first undefeated MHSAA volleyball champion since Marysville in Class B in 1999, sweeping reigning champion North Branch 3-0 – 25-21, 25-14, 25-19.

The Fighting Irish – eliminated in a Quarterfinal a year ago – took on and beat many of the best in Michigan this fall. The perfect run included victories over five ranked teams in Class B and three of the top four in Class A including champion Novi. 

"I remember our first practice when we made goals for ourselves: beat this team, make it to states. And I think we surprised ourselves to actually go through the season undefeated,” Gabriel Richard junior outside hitter Jurnee Tipton said. “We always had the talent last year, but I don’t think we knew what to do with it as much. This year, working on that and working on being focused, helped us.

“I think our talent was always there. We just needed to know how to work with it.”

And that said, Tipton admitted it still hadn’t sunk in what she and her teammates had accomplished. Coach Mayssa Bazzi said it might not for years to come. 

That makes sense – the youngest Irish (42-0) might not have been born when Marysville completed its perfect 1998-99 run.

Gabriel Richard was among the final eight in Class B last season, finishing 22-7-1. But a series of wins this fall – first over Novi in the second tournament of the season, then over Class A semifinalist Grand Rapids Christian in the final at the Beast of the East tournament in October – convinced anyone watching that Gabriel Richard might have history-making in its future. 

“My team has blown my expectations out of the roof,” Gabriel Richard senior Emily Tanski said. “I’m so thankful.”

The Irish lost only four sets all season and none during the MHSAA Tournament, even as expectations and anticipation continued to build.

“There’s been a little more pressure after each match this season. It just kept building and building and building,” Bazzi said. “The biggest thing is the composure of this team. I don’t think we take the pressure on the court with us. I think we feel it when we’re off the court and we’re anxious and we just want to play. When we’re on the court, we’re just in our element.”

In only three sets Saturday, Tipton had 26 kills hitting an incredible .658 with only one error. Tanski added 23 kills, and junior Emma Nowak had 50 assists – fifth-most in an MHSAA Final.

Junior Olivia Fike had 13 kills and freshman Allyson Severance had 11 to lead the Broncos (57-12-2).

North Branch coach Jim Fish said his team tried to leave other hitters open to persuade Gabriel Richard to go away from its big two. The Irish didn’t follow.

Gabriel Richard never trailed in a set by more than three points, and scored 14 straight points – the final five of the second set and first nine of the third.

“We played maybe the best we played all year, and we still couldn’t (stop them),” Fish said. “I’m glad we didn’t give up. I told them, that’s what they do. They just wear on you and teams give up. We’re not going to give up.

“We battled the whole time. We did not give up. That third game says a lot; we got back within four. We made them earn it. That is one of the best teams – I’ve been doing this a long time – one of the best teams I’ve seen. They’re just really good.”

Click for a full box score.

PHOTOS: (Top) Gabriel Richard players rush toward coach Mayssa Bazzi as she presents the Class B championship trophy. (Middle) Emily Tanski (3) pushes a ball over the net for the Fighting Irish.

Schoolcraft Making Most of Every Moment

By Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com

November 3, 2020

SCHOOLCRAFT — First it was the tennis courts, then the softball field.

Finally the Schoolcraft volleyball team got back to its familiar digs in the gym to start this unusual season.

In spite of the unorthodox beginning, the girls were just happy to be playing, said senior libero Kelby Goldschmeding.

After losing in five sets to perennial power Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in the MHSAA Division 3 Final a year ago, the Eagles are hoping for a rematch down the line.

St. Mary has been ranked No. 1 and Schoolcraft No. 2 in the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association poll all season.

The 31-3 Eagles started their postseason with a 3-0 win against Decatur on Monday and will face White Pigeon on Wednesday in the District Semifinal at Schoolcraft.

“The biggest thing this year is don’t take a thing for granted,” Schoolcraft coach Erin Onken said. “Nothing is a given. It’s day-by-day, and you live or die.

“I think we are successful because we have really great, hard-working kids, too. We play for each other and respect what we’re trying to do.”

The Eagles graduated “a huge player” from last season in Andelyn Simkins, now playing volleyball at Western Michigan University.

“The question early on that everybody asked was how do you replace that,” Onken said.

“I said you don’t replace that, you hope that the qualities that were instilled in the group carry over, like being grateful and working hard.”

In her ninth year coaching the Eagles, Onken has taken her team to the Finals twice, losing to St. Mary both times.

Last year, “we tried to keep everything in perspective: if we win, we win. if we lose, we lose, but we want to go down the way we did,” she said.

“It was hard. Just getting there was pressure enough, then going five sets, I think they were just grateful for the experience and that definitely transferred over to this year, having so many return.”

Four starters are back from last year’s team: Allie Goldschmeding, Maggie Morris, Kayla Onken and Anna Schuppel. All are seniors.

Setter Kayla Onken said making it to the Finals last year gave her perspective.

“You have to take every moment in, soak it in, and make the most out of every situation,” she said. “Whether it’s a win or a loss, it’s still a very big part of my playing career.

“It teaches you to give your full-out effort, no matter what, even if you’re exhausted mentally, physically. It’s emotionally draining because it’s such a big atmosphere.”

Special bonds

A four-year starter, Kayla Onken said being the coach’s daughter was a challenge her freshman and sophomore years.

“I definitely got more backlash from it, mostly my freshman year, being the new kid and being the coach’s daughter,” she said. “It taught me you have to work for what you get, and I’ve always wanted to prove myself because I knew that this is what I wanted, this is what I have to do to get there.

“I thought I had to prove myself even more because of my position. There was some resentment sometimes, but that got me to where I am today.”

Erin Onken said her daughter overcame some teammates who did not feel she should play because she did not earn it.

“The thing I respect the most about (Kayla) is that she has absolutely made that her point,” Erin Onken said. “I want to start, I know I can, I know I’m talented, and if that’s who I have to beat out, then I’m going to go beat them out.”

Kayla Onken said having that special bond with her coach mom is something a lot of people never experience, but “It’s definitely a topic of conversation at the house.

“I don’t really get an off moment from being a coach’s kid,” she added. “It’s nice, but it can be draining sometimes, too.”

Talking about these seniors, the coach gets a bit wistful, more so than other years.

“It’s hard because I have seven seniors now and they’re (Kayla’s) friends,” she said. “It’s always hard to say good-bye to a group of seniors.

“These kids I know even more because I see them all the time.”

Taking nothing for granted

Kayla Onken joined Simkins on the all-state first team last season, while Morris and Schuppel made the second team and Kelby Goldschmeding earned honorable mention.

Looking back to the start of theis season, Goldschmeding said she is just happy they are having one this fall.

“First we practiced on the tennis courts, and then our maintenance crew made a court on the softball field for us, in the grass in the outfield,” she said.

“We were all happy just to be out there playing again, but we were doing a bunch of ball control and all that. We were just happy to have an actual net and actual court lines because then we could serve and hit.”

Goldschmeding has an additional reason to be grateful for this opportunity. As a sophomore, she sat out after suffering minor concussions.

“It was really hard for me,” she said. “I think I just came back stronger from them, knowing that I’m just thankful to be back on the court and be able to play still.”

Onken said Goldschmeding is mentally tough.

“She never came back timid,” she said. “The team is always so supportive and happy to have her back. I think that helped.

“It was never from getting hit from an attack. It was always from hustle play. She’ll run through these bleachers to get a ball and even now, there’s no hesitation in her, which is really cool.”

Senior middle Maggie Morris also missed a year after suffering a broken ankle her freshman season, and she said it was an eye-opener.

“It helped me as a player realizing that I can’t take anything for granted,” she said.

Getting back to the Final has been the team’s goal all year.

“Having the chance to play at Kellogg (Arena in Battle Creek) was an amazing experience,” Morris said. “We’ve been working at it every day off and on the court.”

She said a key to the team’s success is the team identity: “Grateful, family over everything, nothing is a given, positive and constant communication and holding each other reliable and accountable.”

Other seniors on the team are Lilli Curtis and Hannah Grochowski.

The lone junior is Sophie Ridge and sophomores are Abbi Curtis, Allison Bailey, Camden Bruner and Cassidy Bruner.

Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Schoolcraft’s Allie Goldschmeding digs a ball during a match this fall. (Middle) Anna Schuppel gets high over the net to send back a volley. (Below) Clockwise, from top left: Kelby Goldschmeding, Maggie Morris, coach Erin Onken, Kayla Onken. (Action photos by John Curtis; head shots by Pam Shebest.)