Highlight Reel: Class D Semifinals

November 22, 2014

The Battle Creek St. Philip volleyball team defeated Waterford Our Lady 3-0 in a Class D Semifinal on Friday, and Leland followed with a 3-2 victory over Onaway. Click the headings below for highlights: 

LAKERS GET THINGS STARTED - Waterford Our Lady jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first set against Battle Creek St. Philip on the strength of plays like this one by Courtney Wightman. 

BATTLE CREEK BLOCK PARTY - Battle Creek St. Philip rallied to top Waterford Our Lady in the first set, 30-28, with Anna Lehouiller and Adrian Hibbard finishing things with a great block.

ONAWAY DOMINATES FIRST SET - Onaway took the first set, 25-10, against Leland, wrapping things up on this ace from Taylor Ehrke.

LELAND WHITEWASH TAKES THE FIFTH - Leland scored an incredible 15-0 win in the final and deciding set against Onaway. Here's a nice play in that run by Maddie Trumbull. 

Watch the St. Philip/Our Lady match in its entirety and order DVDs by Clicking Here and the Leland/Onaway match by Clicking Here.

Volleyball Mentors Achieve Milestones

September 26, 2012

Over the last three weeks, two of Michigan's most successful volleyball coaches ever moved further up the all-time list with milestone victories.

On Sept. 8, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley coach Bill Rice became the fifth volleyball coach in MHSAA history to win 1,000 matches when his team defeated Lutheran Westland at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Invitational. And Battle Creek St. Philip's Vicki Groat became the 12th coach to win 800 matches, earning her monumental win against Jackson Christian on Thursday.

Groat has coached the Tigers since 1998, when she took over for her mother Sheila Guerra. At St. Philip's current pace -- it is again considered the favorite to win the MHSAA Class D championship this fall and has claimed six straight -- she could match her mom's 862 career wins during the 2012 season. St. Philip is 35-1-1 this season.

Rice began at Chippewa Valley in 1980 and has led his team to four league and 11 Class A District championships, plus back-to-back 50-plus win seasons from 2002-04. His team is 10-13-2 this fall.