Kestrels Prove to be Champions Again

November 17, 2012

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

BATTLE CREEK – Taylor Vuich and her teammates have learned to ride the wave of a good omen.

And so, when her hotel room was the first among Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s to wake up Saturday morning, and their favorite song was playing when they flipped on the radio, the Kestrels just knew “today was the day.”

Saturday was the day St. Mary got back the MHSAA Class C championship after coming within three points of a second-straight title one year ago.

The Kestrels claimed their second championship in three seasons and fourth overall with a 25-14, 24-26, 25-10 and 25-9 win over first-time finalist Traverse City St. Francis at Kellogg Arena.

“We got all the way here last year, (played) two and half hours, and then it just slipped away from us,” Vuich said. “They were a great team, but I think we knew this year that this is what we wanted. We wanted to prove to everyone that we’re state champions.”

It’s fair to call the 2011 Class C Final epic. All five games were decided by three or fewer points, with Morley-Stanwood claiming the last 15-12.

With now five championship game appearances over the last 11 seasons, it’s also fair to say the Kestrels (49-6) set high expectations heading into every fall – even if that might’ve turned a little dangerous earlier this week.

“When we talk about goals at the beginning of the year, they talk about getting back here,” St. Mary coach Diane Tuller said of her players. “I talk about the first game of the season, (that) this is where we want to be midway and this is where we want to be toward the end; this is what we need to keep working on. That’s the important thing to me. They set those goals, and I have to keep bringing them back.

“I think we overlooked the team we played in the Quarterfinals (Auburn Hills Oakland Christian). It was our worst game of the year. Everything shut down. … (But) our senior captains really wanted it, and they kept them focused. I gave them the job of keeping this team together.”

And they got back together quickly after the Gladiators took a close second set.

St. Mary scored the first 10 points of the third game and then jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the fourth.

And when junior McKenzie Todd and sophomore Cassandra Haut combined to simultaneously crush the winning point straight into the floor, it was a strong lasting impression of how those last two games had gone.

Haut, an all-state honorable mention as a freshman, finished with a team-high 16 kills from her powerful right arm. Vuich, swinging a hammer with her left, added 13 kills and eight digs, and Todd had 10 kills.  

Senior Claire McMillan had 46 assists, tied for ninth-most in a Final since the beginning of the rally scoring era in 2004-05. Junior Kelsey Geiman – beating the previous record by five (and the record from before rally scoring by seven).

"We are really deep, in all our players. We have a lot of good hitters on our team,” Haut said. “We can always count on anyone on our team.”

St. Francis finished 42-8-3, impressive all the more because co-coaches Heather Simpson and Rita Jones didn't take over until a month before practice began.

They moved up from coaching the junior varsity after the former varsity coach resigned to take another full-time job.

“Our kids don’t quit, and I don’t think how we played today is really a reflection of how good we were, or are,” Simpson said. “From that aspect, it’s disappointing. But hats off to them. They’re a good team, and we are too, but we couldn't match them.”

St. Francis senior Bridget Bussell just missed getting into the Finals records as well, with her 18 kills just two short of that list. She also had six digs, and senior setter Katilyn Hegawald had seven and 26 assists.

“We just never got into our groove, except for the game we won,” Bussell said.

(But) we knew we were here for a reason, so we tried as hard as we could to keep pushing.”

Click for the box score. 

PHOTOS: (Top) Monroe St. Mary sophomore Cassandra Haut (13) covers a kill attempt by Traverse City St. Francis during the Class C Final. (Middle) St. Francis senior Kaitlyn Hegawald (9) prepares to set up teammate Olivia Hardy (4). 

Cass City Focused on Moment but Playing for Biggest After Back-to-Back Semifinal Trips

By Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com

September 5, 2024

For the Cass City volleyball team, the goal is clear in 2024.

Bay & ThumbThe Red Hawks, who have played in back-to-back Division 3 Semifinals and feature eight returning seniors – including four who were part of both long tournament runs – want to get back and finish on top in Battle Creek.

But for coach Amy Cuthrell to get her players to that big goal, she’s asked them not to think about it and focus on the smaller, daily ones instead.

“It’s details, the little things,” Cuthrell said. “You get better in practice, and in the game stage is where we show our skills. Practice has been intense. I do demand a little more in certain areas, and they’re responding. They know where we need to get better. They’re just good kids. I don’t think every day they think it’s fun, but for me, personally, I’m not going to settle. I want their dreams to be made. These are their memories.”

Cass City has made plenty of memories over the past two seasons, charging to the Semifinals for the first time since they made back-to-back runs in 1976-77. Like those late 70s runs, both ended with losses one match short of the Final. 

“I’ve been thrilled to get there,” Cuthrell said. “But I just want to get over that hump.”

That’s about all Cuthrell will say about getting back to Battle Creek, however. While she’s perfectly fine using the past as motivation, she doesn’t want her team getting caught looking toward the future.

Easier said than done.

Red Hawks coach Amy Cuthrell talks things over with her team during that match at Kellogg Arena.Led by Texas Tech commit Shelby Ignash and fellow four-year player Kacee Gray, who has committed to Alma College, the Red Hawks seem to have been built this season for their longest run. 

Isabelle Phillips and Alexis Champagne are in their third years on varsity, having also experienced both Semifinals. Kylie McKee, Mia Caister, Katelyn Rockwell and Alysa Fritz also return from last year’s team, which won the first set in the Semifinal against Traverse City St. Francis before falling in four.

“Growing up, we have all been playing volleyball together, all eight of us, since the sixth grade,” Gray said. “We’ve known we’re a special group and that we have a group of special athletes. So we’ve been putting the time in day in and day out, pushing each other to be a better team. Now we’re here, and we’re still hungry and ready for more.”

Cuthrell is doing her best to feed that hunger with as much on-court knowledge as she can. While the losses at Kellogg Arena were certainly learning experiences for the players, they were the same for the coach.

“I’ve looked at all the tapes, and I really had to reflect on what I can change as a coach,” she said. “I’ve broken down some of the things that I’m going to have to really focus on, different elements of the game. This is a complex game. It may not seem complex to some, but it’s a very detailed sport.”

Better communication on the court and the ability to move on from one play and focus on what’s next is something Cuthrell said she’s focused on this season. Through two early-season tournaments, she’s also liked what she’s seen from her team’s ability to analyze opponents during a match. Cass City is 5-4-1 after trips to the Frankenmuth Invitational and Warrior Showdown, and has wins over the past two Division 3 Finals champions – Pewamo-Westphalia and Kalamazoo Christian. Cass City also split its match against Traverse St. Francis.

Kacee Gray serves during the Semifinal.The tough early schedule is by design, of course, to better prepare the Red Hawks for November. It’s also going to set them up for a tough league schedule, which will be played with a massive target on their backs.

“I think everyone wants to beat us,” Ignash said. “It makes it more exciting, too. You never know, someone can pop out and give you everything.”

That has certainly helped hammer home Cuthrell’s message about staying in the moment.

“I can’t say how they think all the time, but I do know they meet the daily grind, and we do not speak of the future in our practices – we talk about today,” Cuthrell said. “I think humility is important, and we’re lucky to have a very strong program and tradition. They understand the culture, and they are humble in knowing this is one day at a time.”

You can’t block out all outside noise, though, especially at a time when statewide results and weekly rankings are so easily accessible. The most recent poll from the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association has Cass City ranked No. 3.

That will filter through the Cass City team, but in a way that Cuthrell certainly won’t mind.

“Any time a new ranking gets posted, we’re sending it to the group chat,” Gray said. “But seeing it is more motivating, because we’re not at the top.”

Paul CostanzoPaul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Shelby Ignash sends the ball over a block during Cass City’s Semifinal match last season against Traverse City St. Francis. (Middle) Red Hawks coach Amy Cuthrell talks things over with her team during that match at Kellogg Arena. (Below) Kacee Gray serves during the Semifinal.