Gabriel Richard Savors Flawless Finish
December 4, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
All that the Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard volleyball team accomplished this season is still sinking in.
The Fighting Irish became the first Michigan high school team since Marysville in 1998-99 to finish as an undefeated MHSAA champion, rolling to a 42-0 record on the way to winning the Class B title. They achieved this milestone despite playing a schedule loaded with 21 teams ranked at some point in either Class A or Class B – including eventual Class A champion Novi.
And Gabriel Richard did more than just win every match – it dominated, with a set record of 102-6. The Irish won all eight of their MHSAA Tournament matches 3-0. For the season, they beat teams by an average of 9.5 points per set; during the tournament, that average margin of victory bumped up to 11 points.
The program, which last won an MHSAA title in 1991, in Class D, finished a solid 22-7-1 in making the Class B Quarterfinals in 2014. But the jump to history-making, and in this dominating fashion, was extraordinary – and in addition to other accolades, earned Gabriel Richard the honor as November's Applebee's Team of the Month.
“I’ve been thinking back to all of those matches that were really, really close, and easily could’ve gone the other way. There’s something very special about this group of ladies,” said Gabriel Richard coach Mayssa Bazzi, a former standout at Dearborn High and Wayne State who finished her third season coaching the Irish. “Every single one of them is very humble. First and foremost, they’re just good girls. And I just think that helps.”
Each month during the 2015-16 school year, Applebee’s will recognize a Michigan high school team or teams not only for performances on the field of play, but also in the classroom and community.
Over the last two weeks, Bazzi has received congratulations from coaches throughout the state, and especially Gabriel Richard’s Detroit Catholic League. An observation by one who saw her team multiple times has stuck with Bazzi most.
The Irish had plenty of star power – senior Emily Tanski and junior Jurnee Tipton made the Class B all-state first team, while seniors Sydney Burton and Rachel Dunlavy made the second. But that opposing coach noted that the Irish didn’t have one player "full of herself," but instead all of the players were “full of our team.” That selflessness was something Bazzi knew to be true, but this coach put it into words she’ll continue to cherish.
That quality showed as the Fighting Irish took the opportunity to cheer on a former opponent only hours before playing for the Class B title. After word got out that Novi’s fan bus was unable to make the trip to Battle Creek for the MHSAA Finals because of snowy weather, the Gabriel Richard players filled in parts of two rows of the Novi student section at Kellogg Arena to help root on the Wildcats during their match against Romeo.
The successes continue off the court. The Irish carry a grade point average of 3.68, which earned them academic all-state honors from the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association, and three seniors earned academic all-state individual honors as well.
A number of Gabriel Richard players also are involved in athletic director Hally Yonko’s school health club that spreads awareness and education on health-related topics. As part of those efforts, they helped raise nearly $3,000 for the school’s annual cancer scholarship fund, led the prayer service after an all-school Mass and helped with the annual walk as well as participated in an activity for the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, which encourages smokers to quit.
“Their success brought us all together … our coaches, athletes, student body, parents, staff and community members,” Yonko said. “We would always say a prayer after each game as a team, and in the playoffs the whole student section began joining in – even during the state semi and finals behind the student section bleachers. It was great to witness and see our students supporting each other and the girls play for each other, their school, their families and God.”
Past Teams of the Month:
October: Benton Harbor football – Report
September: Mason and Okemos boys soccer – Report
PHOTO: Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard celebrates last month's Class B Semifinal win over Goodrich.
Northville Finishes 3rd-Straight Trip to Kellogg as 1st-Time Finals Champion
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2024
BATTLE CREEK – As the Northville volleyball team knows all too well, only one team in each division can leave Kellogg Arena happy each year.
For the first time Saturday, the Mustangs were that team in Division 1.
After finishing as runner-up in 2022 and losing in the Semifinals in 2023, Northville got over the hump this year, defeating Rockford 26-24, 25-16, 25-27, 25-22 to claim its first Finals title on the volleyball court.
“Every time I’ve walked out of this place, I’ve been sad for the last two years,” Northville senior Molly Reck said. “Being able to leave happy is just an indescribable feeling. I can’t even put it into words.”
Reck and her twin sister Mallory, along with senior setter Ella Craggs and junior libero Giselle Burlingame, were part of each team that made it to the final weekend over the past three years. On Saturday, they were winning not only for themselves and their teammates, but everyone who had come with them before.
“Their sister, Abby Reck, when we were in the Finals (in 2022) came into the locker room and said, ‘You’ll be back, this will help you,’” Northville coach Sarah Lindstrom said. “(Former players) Greta McKee, Ashlee Gnau, Avry Nelson, Ava Thomas, these players that were here for the last four years that bought into what we were bringing to Northville. Northville was good at volleyball before, but these kids trusted us and our coaching staff, and this wasn’t just for the people here. We kept saying during that match, this is for all of your teammates in the past that have built something, brick by brick they put together what we think might be a dynasty. We’re just so grateful for everybody that’s been a part of this.”
The Reck twins and Craggs led the Northville attack Saturday, with Molly (26) and Mallory (20) combining for 46 kills and Craggs finishing with 49 assists. Mallory Reck added 15 digs, while Molly Reck had 10.
But they were far from alone. Burlingame had 18 digs, while junior Kaylyn Tuck had seven kills and four blocks and senior Brooke Feller had six blocks.
“We put a lot of work into – I kept telling them, ‘The three of you (Reck, Reck and Craggs) can’t win a state championship,’” Lindstrom said. “‘We’ve seen that before. You need other people around you.’ And we work on our cohesiveness all the time and building up those other kids.”
Northville (41-2) nearly swept its way to the title, as it had a match point in the third set. But Rockford held on, thanks to a pair of kills from Olivia Hosford to take a 25-24 lead, and eventually won the set to force a fourth.
“I just have so much confidence in every single one of my teammates,” Rockford senior Layla Visser said. “I know what we can do. We can put the ball away, and we can make the right play no matter how many points we’re down.”
That confidence in each other carried over to the fourth set for the Rams. While it was mostly back and forth, Rockford was able to build a 20-16 lead before Northville closed on a 9-2 run to win the title. Mallory Reck served out the final four points, with a pair of aces to close the victory.
“In my head I was kind of just thinking, ‘As much as I don’t want to serve this ball, I know the feeling of being on the other side, and they don’t want to pass this ball just as much,’” Mallory Reck said. “So, that kind of just calmed me down and I was thinking, ‘Serve to get an ace.’ That’s what we’ve worked on all year; we’ve focused really hard on serving. I just took a deep breath and just served it.”
Hosford led the Rockford attack with 22 kills, adding 11 digs. Sophomore Mallory Wandel had 16 kills and 19 digs, while Visser had 10 kills. Isabella Delacher had 25 assists, Ashley Williams had 22 assists, and Eleanor Goad had 12 digs for the Rams (41-10).
“Proud of our girls. They battled against a very good Northville team,” Rockford coach Kelly Delacher said. “It felt like we might have been down and out after the second set and midway through the third set, and they did a great job of battling back to force that fourth set. Overall, proud of my players and proud of our seniors and the way they led us out there.”
PHOTOS (Top) Northville’s side of the court celebrates Saturday, including Brooke Feller (4). (Middle) The Mustangs’ Molly Reck (8) sends a spike into an awaiting Rockford block. (Below) Northville players raise their championship trophy. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)