Highlight Reel: N. Branch/Frankenmuth

November 5, 2014

The North Branch volleyball team defeated Frankenmuth 3-0 in a Class B District game Wednesday. Click the headings below for MHSAA.tv highlights and the final link to watch the match in full. 

FIKE SPIKE! - Early in Game 1 of this Class B District Semifinal, Olivia Fike knocks down the point for North Branch.

WILLSON SET WINNER! - Laura Willson ended the first set with a thunderous hit to give North Branch a 25-16 win over Frankenmuth.

BRONNER BATTLES BACK FOR FRANKENMUTH - Here's a nice kill by Syndey Bronner of Frankenmuth in the second set of this Class B District Semifinal against North Branch.

BRONCOS WIN SECOND SET - Alexis Hernandez closed out the second set with a big hit for North Branch to give the Broncos the win 25-15.

KEYES POINT - Frankenmuth stayed with North Branch early in the third set. Here's a nice score by Kendra Keyes for the Eagles.

Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.

Title IX at 50: Guerra/Groat Legacy Continues to Serve St. Philip Well

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

September 14, 2021

Nearly 100 years of MHSAA history have yielded plenty of multiple-generation coaching families, and a number of those have guided multiple generations of athletes to great success.

But what Battle Creek St. Philip volleyball coaches Sheila Guerra and her daughter Vicky (Guerra) Groat have accomplished is unmatched among coaching legacies – with their individual accomplishments also stacking up well with the rest of the state’s legends on the volleyball sideline.

Last season’s five-set win over Auburn Hills Oakland Christian in the Division 4 title decider gave the Tigers 21 Finals championships in the sport – more than twice the next program on the list. The championship match appearance was St. Phil’s 30th – also more than twice as many as the next most successful team.

Guerra took over the program to start the 1981-82 season (when volleyball was still played during the winter) and finished in 1997 with a record of 862-180-46, with those 862 victories still ranking 25th on the all-time MHSAA volleyball coaching wins list. She led the Tigers to nine Class D championships, including four straight from 1992-96, and two runner-up finishes.

Groat – who graduated from St. Phil in 1985 – followed her mom taking over for the 1997-98 season, leading that team to a Class D runner-up finish, but then stepping away after 1998-99. She returned a season later and has run her record to 1,179-275-93 heading into this fall – with the sixth-most wins in MHSAA history. She’s led 11 teams to Finals championships, 10 in Class D and last season’s in Division 4, plus six more runner-up finishes. The Tigers won a record nine-straight titles beginning with the final winter season of 2006-07 through the fall of 2014.

Second Half's weekly Title IX Celebration posts are sponsored by Michigan Army National Guard

Previous Title IX at 50 Spotlights

Sept. 7: Best-Ever Conversation Must Include Leland's Glass - Read
Aug. 31: We Will Celebrate Many Who Paved the Way - Read