Mendon Makes Good on Great Expectation
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 17, 2018
BATTLE CREEK – It took the Mendon volleyball team only one tournament to realize how good it was this season, and the Hornets certainly weren’t shy about making big proclamations.
“We started really early,” senior outside hitter Hayley Kramer said. “Our first tournament we were like, ‘We’re going to be state champions.’”
Mendon made good on that claim Saturday, sweeping Leland 25-16, 25-21, 25-14 to claim the Division 4 title at Kellogg Arena. It was the program’s fourth MHSAA Finals championship, and first since 2001.
“It’s been our goal the whole entire season,” senior middle blocker Mackenzie Urick said. “We have a goal sheet, and that’s the top. Our mindset, that’s where it was, to win state. One game at a time, just to get here.”
The drive to get to Battle Creek and walk out victorious began more than a year ago, as the Hornets (49-6-3) were stung by a District Final loss to eventual Class C champion Bronson. While nobody could fault Mendon for suffering from a tough draw, the players were having none of it and set out to make sure they didn’t have that feeling again.
“After losing in the District Finals … it hurt,” senior middle blocker Cierra Nightengale said. “So we practiced, practiced, practiced. (First-year coach Heather Bowers) wasn’t even officially hired yet and we were in the gym practicing because we just wanted to get the season started. We knew our potential, and we just did it.”
Mendon dominated throughout the postseason, dropping just one set during its seven-match run to the championship. It swept both of matches at Kellogg Arena, as it had defeated No. 4 Southfield Christian 25-18, 25-15, 25-13 in a Semifinal on Friday.
It was top-ranked Leland (47-11-1), however, that was able to create the first bit of space between the two teams Saturday, going up 7-4 in the first set. But a Mendon timeout changed everything. The Hornets – ranked No. 2 heading into the postseason – went on a 5-0 run after the timeout, and controlled play through the rest of the set before taking it 25-16.
Leland led for much of the second set, but Mendon kept within striking distance and struck late to pull away for a 25-21 win to put itself one set away from the title.
“I think we just go hard every single point,” Nightengale said. “We go little games of five, which I think is what a lot of coaches teach, little games of five until you get to 25. The second game, they were up 19-16 or whatever, and we were like, ‘OK, time to push more.’ And we came out with the win.”
The third set was controlled by Mendon from early on, and as it went on, the Hornets’ confidence seemed to grow. Fittingly, it ended with an ace from sophomore outside hitter Anna Smith, who dominated throughout the match. Smith finished with 18 kills on 32 attacks. She was in on five of the last six points of the match, combining with Nightengale on a pair of blocks, adding two kills and the final ace.
“Back in the day when we played against (Battle Creek St. Philip), they had Allyson Doyle (who later played at Western Michigan), I feel the same way about this kid,” Leland coach Laurie Glass said of Smith. “She jumps really well, she’s up there long enough to see what she wants to see, and she’s got a whip for an arm. She’s going to be a great player – she's going to continue to be; she already is a great player.”
Kramer added 11 kills and five aces, while senior Aubrey Crotser had 22 assists. Senior Amaijha Bailey led the Hornets with 12 digs.
Leland was led by senior Allie Martin, who finished with 13 kills and five digs. Senior Ella Siddall had 30 assists and nine digs, while senior Hanna Elwell added seven kills.
For those Leland seniors, it ended a career that started with a Division 4 championship won during their freshman year in 2015.
“I think it says a lot about what we did this season,” Siddall said. “I think we just did our jobs all throughout, and every game it was steady. I think maybe today was a little different, but I’d say this season overall we did really good.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Mendon hoists its first MHSAA championship trophy won in volleyball since 2001 on Saturday at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) Leland’s Hanna Elwell winds up as Anna Smith (8) and Cierra Nightingale (5) get ready to block.
Volleyball Joins GR Christian Title Lore
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 17, 2018
BATTLE CREEK – Maria Bos’ eyes locked onto the MHSAA Division 2 volleyball championship trophy Saturday like they had locked onto every ball set her way that afternoon.
Although rather than spike it to the ground like she successfully did 21 times in the championship match, she joined her Grand Rapids Christian teammates in embracing and lifting the wooden mitten that previously had eluded the program.
“It doesn’t honestly feel real,” the senior outside hitter said. “You’re very tense the entire time, but still relaxed at the same time. All that tension just kind of lets itself go all at once, and I’ve been dreaming about this for all four years of high school. For it to finally happen on the last match of my senior year, it gets me, and it’s just the best.”
The Eagles swept 2017 Class B champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 25-19, 25-18, 25-21 at Kellogg Arena to claim the first Finals championship in program history. It also was the first time the Eagles had ever played in a Final, and rather than shrink from the moment, they soared.
“We kind of in our minds projected that we would be here,” Eagles coach Tiffannie Gates said. “We knew Notre Dame Prep was an amazing team, so we just talked about before we came out, no fear, just play aggressive, play to win and don’t try to worry about the outcome. Just play hard.”
Grand Rapids Christian (46-5) entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in the division, but the level of dominance against a veteran Irish team that had won 54 straight matches stunned most observers.
“We talked about mentally preparing for the fact to go five, and that it could be 16-14 in the fifth, and to not get down if they started to get a point run,” Gates said. “We made sure we played a very tough schedule this year, and we’ve beaten some really good teams, so we felt confident that we could battle these guys.”
The Eagles took control of all three sets relatively early, and then stifled any Irish attempt at a big run to get back into it – even in the third set when Notre Dame Prep made most every point interesting.
“They’re a very good team, as I’ve said all along, and they played well today,” Notre Dame Prep coach Betty Wroubel said. “We had a few hiccups. Every time we started to make a little bit of a run, we had an unforced error that would give them the ball back. I’m so proud of our kids; we had an awesome season. They played well, and we’re here – a lot of teams wish they were here. I’m proud of our kids. It’s the end of an era for these three seniors (Natalie Risi, Maria Famularo and Maddy Chinn), and that’s the saddest part.”
Chinn, who was named Miss Volleyball earlier this week, and Risi, who also finished in the top 10 in voting for the award, managed to get theirs in the attack, with Chinn tallying 17 kills and Risi 14. But the Eagles did a good job of staying away from Chinn’s blocking by attacking from multiple angles.
“That’s been our thing all year, running a fast offense,” Gates said. “I noticed that Betty moved Maddy to the right side to stop our outside hitters, so we did a good job of passing well enough to where we could run them out of the middle and avoid her big block for most of the night.”
Addie VanderWeide had 17 kills for the Eagles, adding three blocks. Lauren Peal had 12 digs, and Jordyn Gates had 38 assists and 29 digs to help her mom get her first coaching title.
“It was awesome,” Tiffannie Gates said. “I feel like they’re all my children right now. I really can’t point one out, I’m so proud of every single one of them. But, yeah, it was fun to be a part of it with her for sure.”
Risi added 12 digs for Notre Dame Prep (64-6), while Famularo had 14 assists and 14 digs, and Aly Borellis had 12 assists and nine digs.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids Christian hoists its first volleyball championship trophy Saturday at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) The Eagles’ Maria Bos (2) and Olivia Nedd (3) put up a block as Notre Dame Prep’s Maddy Chinn follows through on a kill attempt.