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Preview: Powers Return to Battle Creek
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 14, 2021
This season began with teams practicing outside, and included nearly two months off for COVID-19 precautions before this final week.
But the scene over the next three days at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena will look quite familiar with a number of regulars back in the championship hunt.
Action begins today with Division 2 and 3 Semifinals, with Divisions 1 and 4 on Friday and all four title matches Saturday.
While spectators are limited for this weekend’s event, all 12 matches will be broadcast on MHSAA.tv and (audio) MHSAANetwork.com. Click for more information from the 2020 Volleyball Finals Home on the MHSAA Website. (NOTE: Saginaw Valley Lutheran withdrew from the Division 3 Semifinals.)
This weekend’s schedule:
Division 3 Semifinals – Thursday
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central vs. Beaverton, 2 p.m.
Schoolcraft (BYE – Valley Lutheran forfeit)
Division 2 Semifinals - Thursday
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 4:30 p.m.
Cadillac vs. Grand Rapids Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Division 4 Semifinals – Friday
Mesick vs. Battle Creek St. Philip, Noon
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian vs. Carney-Nadeau, 2 p.m.
Division 1 Semifinals - Friday
Clarkston vs. Bloomfield Hills Marian, 4:30 p.m.
Novi vs. Lowell, 6:30 p.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1, 2 p.m.
Division 2, 4 p.m.
Division 3, Noon
Division 4, 10 a.m.
Below is a glance at contenders in each division.
Division 1
BLOOMFIELD HILLS MARIAN
Record/rank: 33-5, No. 2
Coach: Mayssa Cook, third season (117-24-2)
League finish: Second in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2010), six runner-up finishes
Best wins: 3-2 (Regional Final) and 3-2 over No. 1 Farmington Hills Mercy, 2-0 over No. 9 Saline, 3-0 over No. 4 Byron Center, 2-1 over No. 7 Novi, 2-0 over honorable mention Clarkston, 3-0 over Division 2 No. 1 Grand Rapids Christian, 2-0 over Division 2 No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Players to watch: Ava Brizard, 6-1 jr. OH (510 kills, .504 kill %, 338 digs); Sarah Sylvester, 6-3 jr. MB (174 kills, .407 kill %, 66 blocks); Ava Sarafa, 5-11 soph. S (1,107 assists); Sophia Treder, 6-0 jr. OH (210 kills, 296 digs).
Finals forecast: After Marian fell to rival Mercy in five sets during last season’s tournament, on the way to Mercy winning its first Finals championship, the Mustangs also were swept in their first two matches this season against the Marlins – before winning the last two in five sets, including in the Regional Final. Those two sets were the only ones Marian has given up this postseason. Cook coached Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard to the Class B title in 2015 and could have a special two or three-year run going with her entire starting lineup made up of sophomores and juniors. Brizard made the all-state first team, Sylvester and Sarafa made the second, and Treder earned honorable mention this fall.
CLARKSTON
Record/rank: 28-8, honorable mention
Coach: Kelly Pinner, 18th season (681-183-23)
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-0 (Regional Final) and 2-1 over No. 5 Utica Eisenhower, 2-1 and 3-2 over honorable mention Oxford, 3-2 over honorable mention Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 2-0 over honorable mention Northville, 2-1 over Division 2 No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Players to watch: Claire Nowicki, 5-11 sr. OH (385 kills, .323 hitting %, 287 digs); Summer Jidas, 5-4 jr. L (57 aces, 414 digs); Paige Giehtbrock, 6-0 soph. OH (230 kills); Sydney Hasenfratz, 6-0 sr. MB (174 kills, .425 hitting %, 112 blocks).
Finals forecast: The Wolves are back at the Semifinals for the first time since 2011 after winning their fourth league and third District championships over the last five seasons under the guidance of alum Pinner. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 matches, with the lone loss during that time to No. 9 Saline. Nowicki made the all-state first team, and Hasenfratz and Jidas earned honorable mentions.
LOWELL
Record/rank: 34-4, No. 3
Coach: Jordan Drake, third season (127-12-2)
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference White
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2019.
Best wins: 3-0 over No. 10 Rockford in Regional Final, 3-0 (Regional Semifinal) and 3-0 over No. 4 Byron Center, 3-0 (District Final) and 3-1 over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 2-0 over No. 6 Ann Arbor Skyline, 3-0 over honorable mention Traverse City West, 3-1 over Division 2 No. 1 Grand Rapids Christian, 3-0 over Division 2 No. 2 Lake Odessa Lakewood, 2-0 over Division 3 No. 3 Cadillac, 2-0 over Division 2 No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Players to watch: Sophie Powell, 5-8 sr. S (1,170 assists, .380 hitting %, 268 digs); Emma Hall, 5-11 sr. L (73 aces, 446 digs); Jenna Reitsma, 5-11 sr. OH (834 kills, .322 hitting %, 60 aces, 398 digs); Emily Struckmeyer, 6-0 jr. MH (258 kills, .317 hitting %, 61 blocks).
Finals forecast: The Red Arrows took Mercy to four sets in last season’s Division 1 championship match, and stormed back this fall to give up only 18 sets, with 11 of those in the four losses. Lowell avenged two of those defeats, against Grand Rapids Christian and Byron Center, and navigated arguably the toughest postseason tournament path in any division. Reitsma’s kills total this season ranks among the top 20 all-time despite the shortened schedule, and she with Powell and Hall made the all-state first team while Struckmeyer made the second. Reitsma also was a Miss Volleyball Award finalist.
NOVI
Record/rank: 29-4-1, No. 7
Coach: Kacy Bryon, third season (99-21-9)
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2017), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 3-2 over No. 6 Ann Arbor Skyline in Quarterfinal, 3-2 (District opener), 3-0, 2-0 and 2-1 over honorable mention Northville, 2-1 over honorable mention Oxford.
Players to watch: Megha Gondi, 5-8 sr. MB (205 kills, .326 hitting %); Gaby Cummings, 5-10 sr. OH (217 kills); Rachel Kerr, 5-11 jr. S (786 assists, 137 kills, 200 digs, 53 aces); Rachel Jennings, 5-10 sr. L (544 digs, 47 aces).
Finals forecast: Novi has built back to Battle Creek following its run of three straight Class A titles from 2015-17, with this season seeing the team’s second-straight league and District titles and first Regional championship under Bryon. Five hitters total have at least 130 kills, with middle Caleigh Robinson (154 kills, .330 hitting %) and outside Sarah Vellucci (195 kills) also main contributors. Jennings was named to the all-state second team. The Wildcats are 16-1-1 over their last 18 matches following a 2-1 defeat to Marian.
Division 2
CADILLAC
Record/rank: 43-5, No. 3
Coach: Michelle Brines, 21st season (855-263-44)
League finish: First in Big North Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-2 over honorable mention Birch Run in Quarterfinal, 3-1 and 2-1 over No. 6 North Branch, 2-1 over honorable mention Grand Rapids West Catholic, 2-1 over No. 2 Lake Odessa Lakewood, 3-2 over Division 1 honorable mention Traverse City West, 2-1 over Division No. 3 Lowell.
Players to watch: Macy Brown, 5-11 sr. OH (911 kills, .300 hitting %, 84 blocks, 623 digs, 73 aces); Renee Brines, 5-8 jr. S (1,164 assists, 252 kills, 102 aces, 525 digs); Cailey Masserang, 6-1 jr. MH (180 kills, 55 blocks); Julia Jezak, 5-5 sr. L (568 digs, 61 aces).
Finals forecast: This will be Cadillac’s third trip to the Semifinals over the last seven seasons, and first since 2016, and comes as part of an incredible run of 13 league titles, 15 straight District titles and 12 Regional titles over 15 seasons. And there’s no arguing with the Vikings’ prep for this run – especially the win over Division 1 semifinalist Lowell among an impressive list of opponents this fall. Brown made the all-state first team – with her kills ranking among the top 10 in the MHSAA record book for a single season – while Renee Brines made the second team.
GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 29-4, No. 1
Coach: Tiffannie Gates, 10th season (452-86)
League finish: First in O-K White
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2018 and 2019.
Best wins: 3-0 over No. 9 Ada Forest Hills Eastern in District Final, 3-0 (District Semifinal) and 2-0 over No. 10 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 2-0 over honorable mention Grand Rapids West Catholic, 2-1 over Division 1 No. 9 Saline, 2-1 over Division 1 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian, 3-0 and 3-0 over Division 1 No. 8 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 3-2 and 2-1 over Division 1 No. 4 Byron Center, 3-0, 2-1 and 2-0 over Division 1 No. 10 Rockford; 3-1 over Division 1 No. 3 Lowell.
Players to watch: Addie VanderWeide, 6-0 sr. OH (540 kills, .338 hitting %, 342 digs); Lauren Peal, 5-8 sr. L (40 aces, 399 digs); Alyssa DeVries, 6-9 jr. S (1,040 assists, .316 hitting %, 210 digs); Evie Doezema, 6-3 jr. OH (308 kills).
Finals forecast: The Eagles are seeking their third straight Finals championship and loaded the schedule again this fall, with wins over six of the final top 10 in Division 1. VanderWeide was a Miss Volleyball Award finalist and with Peal made the all-state first team, while DeVries and Doezema made the second team. Senior middle Stephanie Stewart (170 kills, 58 blocks) joined Doezema, DeVries and VanderWeide in the starting lineup for last season’s championship match win over Lakewood as well, and Doezema and VanderWeide also started in the 2018 Final win over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
LAKE ODESSA LAKEWOOD
Record/rank: 41-2, No. 2
Coach: Cameron Rowland, third season (127-24-2)
League finish: First in Great Lakes Activities Conference
Championship history: Class B champion 2012, five runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 3-1 (Regional Semifinal), 2-0 and 2-0 over honorable mention Marshall, 2-0 over No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 2-0 over No. 10 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 2-1 over No. 3 Cadillac, 2-0 over No. 9 Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 2-0 over Division 1 No. 3 Lowell, 2-0 over Division 4 No. 1 Mendon, 2-1 over Division 3 No. 2 Schoolcraft.
Players to watch: Aubrey O’Gorman, 6-4 sr. MB (444 kills, .497 hitting %, 109 blocks, 66 aces), Maradith O’Gorman, 6-2 jr. RS (504 kills, .379 hitting %, 78 blocks, 317 digs, 60 aces); Carley Piercefield, 5-6 fr. DS (532 digs); Skylar Bump, 5-7 soph. S (1,092 assists, 132 kills, .455 hitting %, 108 aces, 238 digs).
Finals forecast: The Vikings finished runner-up last season, three of the last four years and four of the last six seasons, and senior middle Sophie Duits joins the O’Gormans and Bump as returning starters from the 2019 championship match. Aubrey O’Gorman was a Miss Volleyball Award finalist and made the all-state first team with Maradith O’Gorman, while Piercefield and Bump made the second team. The only losses this fall came to Lowell and Division 3 top-ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, and the Vikings avenged the Red Arrows defeat as part of a 34-match winning streak.
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP
Record/rank: 38-9, No. 4
Coach: Betty A. Wroubel, 26th season (1,142-240-96)
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2017), Division 2 runner-up 2018.
Best wins: 3-0 (Quarterfinal) and 3-0 over honorable mention Warren Regina, 3-2 (Regional Final) over No. 6 North Branch, 3-2 (District Final) over No. 5 Detroit Country Day, 2-0, 2-0 and 3-0 over honorable mention Marshall.
Players to watch: Alyssa Borellis, 5-11 jr. S/RS (434 kills, 472 assists, .419 hitting %, 228 digs); Olivia Kowalkowski, 5-5 sr. L/DS (79 aces, 608 digs); Bianca Giglio, 5-9 jr. MH (294 kills, .324 hitting %, 43 blocks); Josephine Bloom, 5-6 sr. DS (392 digs, 155 assists).
Finals forecast: Notre Dame Prep is another regular at Kellogg, with this its fourth-straight trip to the Semifinals and sixth over the last eight seasons. Borellis, Giglio and Bloom all started in the 2018 championship match loss to Grand Rapids Christian, and Kowalkowski played a significant role on that team and joined them in the 2019 lineup as well. Borellis and Kowalkowski have been selected to the all-state first team, while Bloom made the second team, Giglio and junior outside hitter Sophia Sudzina (325 kills) made the third team and sophomore setter Margo Sudzina (570 assists) earned honorable mention.
Division 3
BEAVERTON
Record/rank: 32-5, No. 5
Coach: Steve Evans, 12th season (362-159-4)
League finish: First in Jack Pine Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-0 over honorable mention Calumet in Quarterfinal, 3-0 (Regional Semifinal) and 2-0 over No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis, 2-0 over No. 9 Beal City.
Players to watch: Molly Gerow, 5-9 sr. OH (451 kills, .329 hitting %, 266 digs); Mady Pahl, 5-7 sr. S (822 assists, 148 kills, 60 aces, .312 hitting %); Becca Wirt, 5-6 sr. MH (122 kills); Hannah Stearns, 5-9 jr. OH (110 kills, 48 aces).
Finals forecast: Beaverton has continued a trophy-filled four-season run with its third league and second Regional titles in four seasons and fourth-straight District title. Beaverton’s only loss last season was in a Semifinal to eventual champ Monroe St. Mary, and now-sophomore middle Faith Danielak (34 blocks) joined Gerow, Pahl and Wirt in that starting lineup at Kellogg. The Beavers return to Battle Creek having not lost – or lost even a set – in 20 matches. Gerow made the all-state first team, and Pahl made the second this fall.
MONROE ST. MARY CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 37-2, No. 1
Coach: Karen O’Brien, sixth season (238-44-3)
League finish: First in Huron League
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2019), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 3-0 over honorable mention Bronson in Quarterfinal, 3-0 over honorable mention Manchester in Regional Final, 3-0 over honorable mention Hudson in Regional Semifinal, 2-1 over Division 2 No. 2 Lake Odessa Lakewood, 2-1 over Division 2 honorable mention Marshall, 3-1 over Division 1 No. 6 Ann Arbor Skyline.
Players to watch: Anna Dean, 5-10 sr. OH (249 kills, .361 hitting %); Abbie Costlow, 6-0 sr. MH (263 kills, 78 blocks, 77 aces, .513 hitting %); Mikayla Haut, 5-11 sr. OH (352 kills, .300 hitting % 55 aces); Kylie Barron, 5-11 sr. MH (137 kills, 97 blocks).
Finals forecast: The reigning Division 3 champion is making its third trip in a row to the Semifinals and seventh over the last decade. The Kestrels have won all of their postseason matches 3-0 and are on a 20-set winning streak with their only match losses this season to Skyline (in five sets) and Division 1 No. 9 Saline. Haut was a Miss Volleyball Award finalist and made the all-state first team with Dean and Costlow. Barron and junior setter Kate Collingsworth (497 assists, 121 digs, 49 aces, .671 hitting %) were named to the third team.
SAGINAW VALLEY LUTHERAN
Record/rank: 32-2, No. 3
Coach: Jon Frank, 15th season (508-227-65)
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference West
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-0 (Regional Semifinal) and 3-0 over honorable mention Unionville-Sebewaing, 3-2 over No. 5 Beaverton, 3-0 over Royal Oak Shrine Catholic in Quarterfinal.
Players to watch: Sydney Krause, 5-9 sr. S (914 assists, 40 aces); Peyton Bartnikowski, 5-7 sr. OH (326 kills, 54 aces, 263 digs); Ashlyn Martin, 5-9 jr. MH (254 kills, 236 digs); Olivia Grimpo, 6-2 jr. M (217 kills).
Finals forecast: Valley Lutheran was set to make its second-straight appearance at the Semifinals before having to withdraw from the tournament Wednesday. The Chargers did win their sixth league and fifth District titles in seven seasons. Their only losses were to Division 2 Birch Run and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. Krause made the all-state second team, Bartnikowski made the third team and Martin earned honorable mention.
SCHOOLCRAFT
Record/rank: 36-3, No. 2
Coach: Erin Onken, ninth season (354-95-15)
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Championship history: Class C champion 2008, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 3-0 over No. 6 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, 3-0 over No. 8 Morley Stanwood, 3-0 over No. 7 Traverse City St. Francis, 2-0 over Division 4 No. 1 Mendon.
Players to watch: Maggie Morris, 5-11 sr. M (405 kills, .487 hitting %, 90 blocks); Kayla Onken, 5-8 sr. S (152 kills, .482 hitting %, 1,046 assists, 55 aces, 339 digs); Anna Schuppel, 6-1 sr. M (311 kills, .502 hitting %, 122 blocks); Allie Goldschmeding, 5-8 sr. OH (187 kills, .305 hitting %, 70 aces, 350 digs).
Finals forecast: Schoolcraft has run its streak of league titles under Erin Onken to all nine of her seasons leading the program, along with eight District titles, five Regional titles and a second-straight trip to the Semifinals during her tenure. Last season also saw the Eagles finish runner-up for the second time over those first eight seasons as they fell in a five-set Final to SMCC. Four of six starters are back from last season’s championship match, and those are four of five who earned all-state honors this fall. Morris and Kayla Onken made the first team, Schuppel made the second, and Allie Goldschmeding and senior libero Kelby Goldschmeding (536 digs, 60 aces) made the third team.
Division 4
AUBURN HILLS OAKLAND CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 26-4, No. 9
Coach: Brian Theut, first season (26-4)
League finish: First in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference
Championship history: Class D runner-up 2016.
Best wins: 3-1 over honorable mention Ubly in Quarterfinal, 3-0 over No. 8 Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes in District Final, 2-0, 2-0 and 3-0 (Regional Semifinal) over Southfield Christian, 3-0 over Plymouth Christian Academy.
Players to watch: Katie Hopkins, 5-6 sr. S (623 assists, 167 digs); Anna Frazee, 5-9 jr. MB (181 kills, 41 aces); Kaylee Page, 5-7 sr. OH (200 kills, 158 digs); Micah Tison, jr. OH (183 kills, 38 aces, 209 digs).
Finals forecast: Oakland Christian had won six straight shutouts before Ubly took a set in the Quarterfinals, and in fact the Lancers won 23 matches this fall by shutout. All four of their losses this season were to larger schools. Hopkins was named to the all-state first team this fall, while Page made the second team and Frazee made the third. Theut previously was head varsity coach at White Lake Lakeland and Salem before taking over the Oakland Christian program.
BATTLE CREEK ST. PHILIP
Record/rank: 21-13, honorable mention
Coach: Vicky Groat, 23rd season (1,177-294-79)
League finish: First in South Central Athletic Association West
Championship history: 20 MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), nine runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 3-2 over No. 5 Lansing Christian in Quarterfinal, 3-1 over No. 7 New Buffalo in Regional Semifinal, 3-1 over No. 4 Camden-Frontier.
Players to watch: Rachel Myers, 5-7 jr. OH (946 assists, 71 aces, 205 digs); Harleen Deol, 5-7 sr. M (143 kills, 46 aces); Brooke Dzwik, 5-9 jr. OH (549 kills, 50 aces, 339 digs); Baily Fancher, 5-5 jr. L (54 aces, 417 digs).
Finals forecast: St. Philip has twice as many championships and more than twice as many championship match appearances as any other program in the state. But this will be a first-time experience for this team as the Tigers are back at the Semifinals for the first time since 2014. It could be the first of another few as Deol is the only senior. All but three losses this fall came to larger schools, and St. Philip avenged one with the win over Lansing Christian on Tuesday. Dzwik was named to the all-state first team this season, and Fancher made the third team.
CARNEY-NADEAU
Record/rank: 23-1, No. 10
Coach: Steve Kedsch, 19th season (331-203-42)
League finish: First in Skyline Central Conference Central
Championship history: Has never played in a championship match.
Best wins: 3-1 over Rudyard in Quarterfinal, 3-0 over Chassell in Regional Final, 2-0 over Kingsford.
Players to watch: Taylor Kedsch, 5-8 sr. OH (256 kills, .370 hitting %, 35 aces); Haley Ernest, 5-5 sr. S (541 assists, 37 aces); Liana Blahnik, 5-11 sr. MB (218 kills, .330 hitting %, 54 aces); Malorie Baumler, 5-7 jr. OH (69 aces)
Finals forecast: Rudyard on Tuesday became the only in-state opponent to take a set from Carney-Nadeau this season. The only other sets surrendered by the Wolves to any opponent came in the lone loss, to Peshtigo, Wis. Carney-Nadeau will be making its second Semifinal appearance in three seasons, having been stopped by Rudyard in the Quarterfinals a year ago. Kedsch is one of seven seniors on a roster of 11, and she made the all-state third team while Blahnik earned honorable mention.
MESICK
Record/rank: 24-2, unranked
Coach: Stacy Quiggin, fifth season (63-89-13)
League finish: First in West Michigan D League
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 3-2 over honorable mention Fowler in Quarterfinal, 3-1 over Gaylord St. Mary in Regional Semifinal, 3-2 over Manton.
Players to watch: Lexy Abraham, 5-8 jr. S (276 assists, 58 aces); Kelsey Quiggin, 5-9 soph. MH (160 kills, 56 aces, 186 digs); Grace Quiggin, 5-11 sr. OH (156 kills, 54 aces); Kaylee O’Neill, 5-1 sr. L (300 digs).
Finals forecast: Mesick is the lone unranked team making the trip to Kellogg Arena this weekend, but the program is on the map after improving at least a win each of the last four seasons and reaching the Semifinals for the first time. The only losses came to No. 2 Traverse City Christian and Division 3 Maple City Glen Lake, and Mesick has lost only 10 sets all season.
PHOTO: Lakewood’s Aubrey O’Gorman tips the ball over the net during her team’s Regional Final win over Lansing Catholic. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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Marysville, Fruitport Wage 8-Year War
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
October 30, 2019
The history of girls volleyball in Michigan is filled with stalwarts, streaks and change.
Battle Creek St. Philip appeared in the MHSAA Finals on 28 occasions between 1977 and 2015 and won 20 titles, including nine consecutive between 2007 and 2014. Portage Northern made 12 trips to the Finals during a span of 20 years, and won 10 titles. Little Brimley High School in the Upper Peninsula won eight titles in 10 visits, including five consecutive U.P. Open Class titles between 1981 and 1985 and seven of eight between 1981 and 1988 during the days when championships were awarded in both Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Certainly, one of the most captivating streaks was Marysville’s between 1997 and 2006. The Vikings, guided by coach John Knuth, won nine Class B titles during that 10-year span as the MHSAA championships morphed into a unified tournament beginning in 2000, with singular Finals titles awarded by enrollment class.
An interesting byproduct that developed during the string of Marysville titles was an enthralling and unexpected east side/west side rivalry with Fruitport. It featured head coaches that, from the perspective of a spectator, appeared vastly different. Separated in birth by nearly two decades, the two men in reality shared very similar approaches in developing athletic programs that altered the landscape at their respective school districts.
Building a dynasty
“The team has a lot to learn,” said John Knuth to the Port Huron Times Herald in 1985 when he was announced as the latest Marysville volleyball coach. “I’m the fourth coach in four years, and we are just starting to build a program.”
An outstanding halfback at Marysville for one of Michigan’s celebrated football coaches, Walt Braun, Knuth was recipient of the McPherson Award as a senior in the fall of 1968, given to the team’s MVP. He was captain of the basketball team and a high jumper for the track team. He returned to Marysville after graduating from Central Michigan University in 1974 to teach elementary physical education and later, health. Knuth’s father died when he was 7. Braun had a big influence on his life, and Knuth would assist his coach with track, then with football for 22 years. In time, he would also coach ninth-grade football, junior varsity boys basketball and varsity girls basketball.
“I really wanted to be a (varsity) basketball coach,” he told the Times Herald in 1994, but after 10 years as the JV (boys) coach he didn’t see an opportunity opening up. After watching the turnover with the volleyball program, he took the position. Like many schools around the state, Marysville added girls volleyball to its roster of MHSAA-sanctioned activities with a junior varsity team in 1974 and a varsity squad in 1975 following the arrival of Title IX.
“I put a lot of time and energy into learning the game,” Knuth said. “When I started, I wasn’t very knowledgeable. I enjoyed the game; I liked the team aspect. I went to clinics, and I read a lot. I tried to learn every chance I could get.”
In 1987, he added an eighth-grade team to the mix, coaching the team himself. As is common with football, he studied film from the team’s matches. He saw potential. His focus was on team, discipline, detail, defense, and attitude. His vision was on the moment – the here and now – and having fun. The players responded.
During the winter of 1990, the Vikings made their first run at the MHSAA Class B title, earning their first ever Regional championship but falling to Fenton 15-13 and 15-11 in the Quarterfinals. By 1992, Marysville had won 44 straight St. Clair Area League matches dating back to 1988, captured three consecutive league championships and advanced to the MHSAA Semifinals. In 1993, the team played in its first state championship match, falling to Comstock in three games. Coach Jeff Borr’s Comstock teams were winners of six Class B titles in eight years between 1986 and 1993.
Marysville’s conference win streak had grown to 72 in a row and six straight SCAL titles in 1994, but the Vikings lost to eventual Class B champion Holland Christian in the Quarterfinals. Lindsey Clayton, one of 11 all-state players turned out by Knuth’s volleyball program during his first 10 years at the wheel, finished her prep career second in the state in kills and earned a full-ride athletic scholarship to Michigan State.
After missing the final rounds in 1995, the Vikings were back in the Semifinals in 1996, but again were eliminated by eventual champion Comstock.
The 1997 season marked the school’s first volleyball championship and, fittingly, they finished the season with a flawless 57-0 mark.
“Charlotte (62-8-2) bolted to a 5-0 lead in the first game and led 7-1 in the second game,” stated Ted Kulfan, covering the contests for the Detroit News. “But Marysville rallied both times. With the match 10-10 in the first game, 5-0 senior Michelle Pionk served five consecutive points to put the game away for Marysville. In the second game, the Vikings rallied from an 11-10 deficit with (Jennie) Williams dominating the net.”
A three-time all-state senior, Williams, who would later attend Purdue, slammed home the winning kill in the second contest, a 15-12 win.
Marysville again finished the year undefeated and repeated as ‘B’ champion in 1998, thumping Pinconning (79-5-1) in two games in the title match.
East vs. West
Fruitport’s first taste of the final rounds of the MHSAA girls volleyball tournament occurred in 1998. The Trojans were defeated by Pinconning 15-10, 15-8 in the Quarterfinal round, but the team was back in pursuit the following winter posting its best-ever season with a trip to the semis. Not surprisingly, the Trojans ran into Marysville.
“It has taken coach Dan Potts a long time to lead the Trojans to such prosperity,” wrote Bill Roose in the Detroit Free Press prior to the 1999 MHSAA tournament.
“‘We were 5-20 in that first season,’ said Potts, in his eighth year. ‘But we’ve had steady improvement ever since. This is the fifth year in a row with a winning season.’“
The two schools had first met just prior to the start of the tournament. After Fruitport’s fine showing in the East Kentwood Invitational in late January, the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA) had the Trojans ranked No. 1 in Class B with Marysville at No. 2 before the two teams squared off in the final round of the 32-team University of Michigan-Dearborn Invitational – a final test before MHSAA District play kicked off.
“‘We felt we were on top of our game when we played Marysville,’ said Fruitport senior Jen Brink about the dose of reality the Trojans received in the championship match. The Vikings blasted Fruitport, 15-9, 15-6. ‘We didn’t realize the potential that they have. … Now we understand the emotional state that it will take to beat Marysville. … Now we’re prepared for it.’”
As hoped, the two schools met again in the Semifinals of the postseason.
“Our Regional was very tough,” said Knuth to the Times Herald. “The Quarterfinals were not quite as tough … but (Friday’s match with Fruitport) will be war.”
“It’s hard to say how we’ll do,” said Potts. “They handed us a pretty resounding loss.”
A 15-4 win over Marysville in Game 1 of the Class B Semifinals exemplified the learning curve and work put in by Fruitport in becoming a west side power in volleyball. Dramatically, Marysville grabbed the next two games, 15-10 and 15-9, illustrating to Potts that there was still work to be done. Despite playing 80 contests that season and posting an impressive 72-8 mark, Fruitport had fallen short of its goal.
“It was a scare,” said Vikings 5-foot-11 junior middle hitter, Kristen Fenton, to the Free Press. “They wanted to win that first one more than we did; they really came after us.” A three-time first-team all-state player, Fenton would later compete collegiately at Fresno State and with the U.S. National Team that won bronze at the 2007 Pan American Games, then return home to coach Marysville.
With a 15-5, 15-0 victory over Stevensville Lakeshore in the championship match, Marysville clinched its third consecutive crown and completed a third straight undefeated season (58-0).
It’s a three-hour trip between Marysville and Fruitport geographically, so without the MHSAA tournament, it’s unlikely the rivalry between the two high schools would have occurred naturally. Marysville continued to roll. The top-ranked Vikings had upped their consecutive match victories state record to 192 before falling to Flint Carman-Ainsworth in mid-January of 2000 at a tournament in Birch Run. Still the top-ranked team in Class B at the end of February, the Vikings blew-out third-ranked Fruitport in the final of the annual U of M-Dearborn Invitational, 15-4, 15-6.
In the postseason, Fruitport fell in the Regional Semifinals to second-ranked Reed City in two games.
“We prepared (for Reed City) all week but we weren’t able to execute like we wanted.” said Nicole Bayle, a MIVCA all-state outside hitter at Fruitport and later a star at Grand Valley State University, to the Muskegon Chronicle. “That’s the best I’ve seen them play. They’re a solid team.”
Reed City advanced to the Class B championship match, but were defeated by Marysville in convincing fashion, 15-8, 15-0.
Commitment, Intensity and Colorful Enthusiasm
A 1987 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer alumnus, Potts was 23 when he first took over a Fruitport program lacking stability and direction. A recent Michigan State graduate, he had played some club volleyball for the Spartans while in college, but picked up most of his experience as a beach volleyball player along the shore of Lake Michigan. Like Knuth, as a coach he sought knowledge from others and studied the game and the psychology of the female athlete. It was a long road.
With new focus, Fruitport was back in pursuit in 2001.
Prior to the season, many felt Marysville wouldn’t make the return trip to Kalamazoo come tournament time as it had lost several top players to graduation in 2000 – including Fenton and Jennifer Hadden, who would play at Mississippi State. But until the U of M-Dearborn Invitational, it was business as usual. Knuth’s squad entered the invitational championship match with a perfect 54-0 mark. There, sixth-ranked Fruitport shocked Marysville in the final, 15-10, 16-14. In the second game, Fruitport overcame a 10-0 Vikings lead.
“It’s a big win for our program,” Potts told the Chronicle. The loss was Marysville’s first to a Class B school in 286 matches. “We played well as a team all day. … Now we’ll have to see if we can maintain that level of intensity heading into Districts.”
When asked by the Free Press about the possibility of a rematch between the schools in the Class B championship match, Potts was hesitant. “It would be great to get there, but there is a lot of road to cover until then,” he said.
“I think this was a good experience for the girls because they were able to see some very good competition before the (state) tournament,” said Knuth to the Times Herald, after the defeat.
Both Marysville and Fruitport cruised through the 2001 postseason and won impressively at Friday’s Semifinals hosted at Western Michigan University. Fruitport downed No. 2-ranked Dexter, 15-11, 5-15, 15-9 to advance. Marysville topped No. 1 Stevensville-Lakeshore 15-4, 15-8.
Both teams were eager to play each other again, this time with a state title on the line.
“We are glad we are in the finals; we are glad we are playing them, in a rematch,” said Mary Czarnecki, Marysville’s middle hitter. “But truthfully, we are just glad to be in the finals, no matter who we play. No one expected us to get this far. No one thought we were going to be this good.”
“That win earlier in the year told us we can contend with any team in the state,” said Fruitport’s senior setter Holly Punches to the Free Press. “They’re one of the top teams in the state and they haven’t won all those state championships for nothing.”
“The first game was over quickly (14 minutes),” wrote Joanne C. Gerstner in the Detroit News about the title match, “giving Marysville commanding momentum. ‘It got all of us going,’ said Marysville senior hitter Karen Conger (Oakland University). ‘We were all fired up.’”
“I told them it was just one game, forget it,” said Potts to the Chronicle about the 15-2 loss in the opener.
Fruitport rallied to a degree in the second game. But the Vikings, without a go-to player on the roster like in past years, were built around defense and aggressive play. They didn’t let up, and won 15-9.
Like Marysville, Fruitport had been traditionally known as a football school. But things were changing. Hundreds of fans had followed both teams to Kalamazoo.
“It’s great for our program because we took another step,” said Potts, dressed in a bold Hawaiian shirt, “Unfortunately we couldn’t take the next step and win it. I think the players learned a lot from this, though.”
It was a fifth consecutive title for Marysville. Only Cedarville, with six straight titles between 1992 and 1997, had won more in a row.
“I don’t want to say losing makes you better, but our loss to them (at U of M-Dearborn) certainly was a wake-up call,” Knuth said. “We knew we had some things to work on. We knew what their game plan was and prepared for it this time.”
“We’re going to be back here,” stated Potts following the title match. “These girls know that. We had a great season and are not going to hang our heads over this.”
And so it was
For three straight years, the teams battled their way through the regular season and initial rounds of the MHSAA tournament for the right to meet in the final rounds. Each team shed first-team all-conference and all-state players annually with graduation, to be replaced by another round of outstanding athletes. Many would go on to play in college, then in later years give back by coaching the game they loved.
In 2002, Marysville won its 14th consecutive league title, but dropped its first league match in 156 played over nearly 14 years. Knuth, never one to gaze too deeply into past achievements, did comment on the accomplishment to the Times Herald: “I think it’s more amazing than the five consecutive state titles.”
His focus quickly returned to “one-point, one game, one match.”
Before a crowd of 3,675 at Western Michigan University, the Vikings battled to a 15-6, 15-7 win over the Trojans for their sixth Class B title in a row.
“It was a war out there,” commented Knuth to the Times Herald, noting that the score of the second game was not a true indication of its competitiveness. The end of the contest was filled with side-outs, and the Vikings had a real battle on their hands. “They were not going to give up.”
Ashley Feutz, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, finished with 16 kills for Fruitport. Kelly Thomas had 39 assists for Marysville on the day.
In 2003, with the loss of seven to graduation, including three all-staters, the annual question concerning Marysville’s ability to reign again surfaced. During the season, Fraser, a Class A conference opponent, ended the Vikings’ league title streak at 14. But it was the only bump on the road. Of course Knuth had his team ready for the tournament. After dropping the opening game to St. Joseph in the Semifinals, 15-11, Marysville battled to 15-11 and 15-9 victories to advance to the championship match.
Fruitport, with only one senior on the roster, downed Carleton Airport in two games in the semis, setting up a third-straight meeting with Marysville for the Class B marbles.
Again, after dropping the opener to Fruitport, 15-12, the Vikings rallied back to 15-10, 15-7 wins to celebrate their seventh straight championship.
Allison Mattox led Marysville with 20 kills, followed by Megan Harrison – runner-up for the state’s Miss Volleyball Award – with 16. Feutz, now a junior, topped Fruitport with 25 kills.
“They always seem to play very well against us,” said Potts to the media. “They rose to another level. We certainly lost to a good team.”
Interrupted
Once again, Marysville and Fruitport finished the 2004 regular season ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the MIVCA rankings, respectively. However, a tournament rematch was not in the cards that school year.
“… the Vikings need not fret Fruitport – or its coaches, who traditionally don the bold Hawaiian shirts,” trumpeted the Herald-Times in mid-March. “Rival Fruitport, the West Michigan powerhouse and the final victim in Marysville’s last three state championships, is out of the tournament. Upset by No. 8-ranked Whitehall in district action last weekend, the mighty Trojans must now wait at least one year to face their blossoming nemesis again.”
In mid-March, Marysville grabbed its eighth successive title with a win over Carleton Airport.
Perhaps the wait was precisely what was needed. For Fruitport, a year away from the floor at WMU provided perspective.
“I’ve got to tell you guys,” said Potts, “when you get to the finals a couple of years in a row, you can’t wait until March. The regular season means nothing when you’ve got that euphoria.”
The 2004-05 season brought big changes to volleyball in Michigan. The sport moved from side-out scoring, where a team had to serve to earn a point, to rally scoring, where a point is awarded on every serve. The style change meant a move from a best-of-three game format to a best-of five-format. Under the side-out style, games were played to 15 points, with a required margin of victory of at least two points. Under the rally approach, games are played to 25, and then shortened to 15 points if a match requires a fifth game – with a margin of two points still required to win.
Familiarity soon reigned. After a year off, the Semifinal pairing between No. 1 Marysville and No. 2 Fruitport was exactly the match-up volleyball fans craved. Led by senior setter Stephanie Booms, Marysville’s first Miss Volleyball, the Vikings made their 11th straight trip to the Semifinals and their 13th appearance in 14 years. In the first year of rally play, fittingly, it took five games to determine a Semifinal winner. Fruitport dropped the first game, 25-21.
“To be honest,” said Potts, whose team had lost six matches during the regular season, “I had a little bit of a sinking feeling. ‘Aww, man, are we gonna stall like this?’ But I’ll tell you, this team has come back all year long.”
The Trojans rebounded, winning the next two, both 25-19, but dropped the fourth game 25-14. The decisive fifth game saw the margin never exceed three points and was a battle to the end. Tied at 15, the Trojans escaped with a 17-15 win set up by a running save from Fruitport’s Danielle McGrady.
It was Marysville’s first postseason loss since 1996.
Senior outside hitter Lindsey Bayle, a member of the Trojans’ 2002 and 2003 runner-up squads and one of six seniors on the team, had 16 kills and 28 digs to lead Fruitport to victory.
“Half this team is so young that they don’t realize the magnitude of what we just did,” Bayle said to the Free Press. “The seniors know this is something the people will always remember.”
The Trojans’ coaching staff had traded out their Hawaiian attire for blue dress shirts to highlight the blue-collar nature of the 2005 squad. The following night, after dropping their first game to Otsego in the championship match, Fruitport rebounded with three straight victories to win its first state title in any sport.
Return, not revenge
In 2006, the Trojans and Vikings returned to the final rounds. After victories in the Quarterfinals, the teams would meet again in the semis.
For Amanda Kettlewell, Marysville’s senior middle attacker, “it wasn’t about getting back at the Trojans … it was simply about getting back. ‘Who wouldn’t want to play Fruitport – They’re a great team,’ said Kettlewell to the Times Herald, focused, like her coach, on the moment.
Teammate Allison Schlinkert concurred: “We weren’t looking to get revenge or anything like that – what happened last year, happened last year.”
This time, Fruitport won the first game of the Semifinal battle, 25-19. Marysville responded with easy victories in Games 2 and 3. Game 4 was a marathon.
The Trojans held a 24-21 lead after three straight kills by junior Jackie Geile, hoping to even the series. But the Vikings pulled within one, 24-23. A misplaced kill attempt by Fruitport tied the game at 24. Both teams fought off match point multiple times before Marysville emerged the winner, 30-28.
Potts complimented the Vikings’ defense for bouncing back.
“It’s the most amazing feeling,” said Schlinkert. “It’s pretty much everything – the fact that we can now play in the finals, the fact that it was Fruitport, and it’s always a good game every time we play Fruitport. Always. Always.”
Marysville knocked off top-ranked Grand Rapids South Christian for its ninth title in 10 years and final state title under Knuth. It took five games. Kettlewell delivered a championship-clinching kill to seal a 15-11 victory in the decider – delayed by 12 minutes due to a false fire alarm at WMU’s University Arena. The Vikings had won the first two games, and then had to battle back after losing the next two.
“On Cloud Nine” read the headline on Page 1 of the Times Herald on Sunday, March 19, in reference to the achievement.
Marysville again returned to the Class B Quarterfinals the following year, but was vanquished from the final four for the first time since 1994 by Carleton Airport.
“It has been a fabulous season,” said Knuth. “We went above and beyond expectations. “
Change Abounds
Although the changes to scoring and match length detailed above were significant, the most massive switch came in 2007, when volleyball moved from a winter sport to a fall offering.
After guiding the Trojans to the Semifinals six times in eight years, Potts resigned in April following the winter 2007 season.
“I’m not a big fan of switching seasons,” Potts said to the Free Press. “I thought we had it right in Michigan.”
The Fruitport position was filled by one of his assistant coaches and a former player, Nicole Bayle. Under Bayle’s guidance, the Trojans finished as Class B runners-up in the fall of 2008, before winning Class B titles in both 2010 and 2011.
“Fruitport head coach Nicole Bayle and assistant coach Holly (Punches) Hazekamp finally have their elusive state title,” wrote the Chronicle in 2010, “after coming up short as players.”
In August 2008, Knuth stepped down to focus on his athletic director duties at Croswell-Lexington, a position he had accepted in 2002. Paul Levandowski, an assistant with the team over the previous six seasons, stepped into the head coaching role. Knuth totaled 1,129 wins against only 78 losses in 24 years as head coach.
After three seasons away, Knuth returned to the Marysville program in the fall of 2011, co-coaching with Kristen Fenton Michaelis, who had played on his first championship teams. When Knuth suffered a massive heart attack midseason and couldn’t return, she took the reins and guided the Vikings back to the Semifinals. Michaelis led the team for three seasons before moving on to coach at the college level.
Adding to Knuth’s Vikings legacy, the Kettlewell sisters – Randi Jakubiak Kaufmann, a 1999 graduate, and Amanda Busch, a 2006 alumnus – were hired to co-coach the team in 2016. Each had won three Class B titles while playing at Marysville.
“There was a new player in town, and it was volleyball”
Lindsey Clayton Brown, now residing on the west side of the state, recently recalled her time playing for Knuth at Marysville.
“He was very well-grounded. We had to focus and prepare. He is a motivator – he was able to get so much buy-in,” she said. “He had a community of volunteer volleyball assistants who would scout opponents (during the tournament). We’d get reports that rivaled what I got at a Big Ten school.
“Mr. Knuth was doing visualizations. He’d tell us, ‘Bring your pillows for this.’ We would lie on the ground for a half hour. They’d turn off the lights. ‘You’re getting to the game. You’re getting your ankles taped.’ It seemed so far advanced. It really, really helped.
“It was truly fun. He could push you far enough. We wanted to perform for him. … He was a ham. He had a bunch of – they call them Dad jokes today. He was lighthearted, but it could get very serious very quickly. You wanted to ride in his van. He is a charismatic individual, and you wanted to be around him. He wanted to win but was humble, and he shared winning. And everyone on the team was a part of it.”
The accomplishments of both squads in victory and defeat, the tireless efforts of both Knuth and Potts and the volleyball communities they created, pressed forward respect and equality for the female athlete.
“Our success helped push that … a little faster. I don’t think that we ever had to go backwards,” added Brown, reflecting on the accomplishments. “I don’t think you could.”
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marysville's Ashley Eldridge (3) and Fruitport's Brynn Ray line up across from each other during the 2003 Class B Final at Western Michigan University. (2) The 1985 Marysville team was coach John Knuth's first. (3) The 1997 Marysville team won the school's first volleyball championship. (4) The 1999 Fruitport team met Marysville in a Class B Semifinal. (5) Fruitport coach Dan Potts (left) and John Knuth shake hands before the 2003 Final. (6) Knuth leaps in celebration during the 2002 Class B Final win. (7) Fruitport's 2005 team defeated Otsego in the Class B championship match. (8) Marysville took back Class B in 2006 with a five-set win over Grand Rapids South Christian.