Highlight Reel: West Ottawa/Jenison
November 7, 2014
The Holland West Ottawa volleyball team defeated Jenison 3-0 in a Class A District game Thursday. Click the headings below for MHSAA.tv highlights and the final link to watch the match in full.
WEST OTTAWA'S BIG OPENING RUN - Holland West Ottawa scored the first five points of the first set against Jenison on its way to a 14-3 start. Sydney Zwghuizen gets the kill to make it 5-0.
JENISON RALLIES BEHIND FLAHARTY - Jenison would counter West Ottawa's opening run with 10-2 streak of its own. Megan Flaharty scores here for the Wildcats. West Ottawa went on to win the set, 25-19, on its way to a 3-0 Class A Semifinal win.
RIETBERG KEEPS IT IN - In the second set of this Class A Semifinal, watch Jenison's Katie Rietberg knock it down just inside the line for a point. West Ottawa would win the set, 25-14, and the match, 3-0.
ZWYGHUIZEN EXTENDS THE LEAD IN SECOND SET - Sydney Zwyghuizen delivers a kill to put West Ottawa up in the second set against Jenison, 17-7.
CLARK FINDS THE OPEN SPOT - Early in the third set, Jenison's Kayla Clark finds the opening in the West Ottawa defense to score. The Panthers, however, won this set, 25-17.
SEALED WITH AN ACE - Holland West Ottawa completes its sweep of Jenison in this Class A District Semifinal with a service ace.
Watch the entire match and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
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.”
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.