Story in Photos: 2024 Volleyball Division 2 & 3 Semifinals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 22, 2024
BATTLE CREEK – Four more finalists earned opportunities Friday to play one more match on the last day of this season at Kellogg Arena.
Two Semifinals went four sets and two went all five as the Division 2 and 3 fields were reduced to just two teams apiece.
Saturday’s Finals will see the following face off at Kellogg Arena:
10 a.m. – Division 4 – Clarkston Everest Collegiate (37-0-1) vs. St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic (33-3-1)
Noon – Division 1 – Northville (40-2) vs. Rockford (40-9)
2:30 p.m. – Division 3 – Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (38-4-1) vs. Traverse City St. Francis (35-12-3)
4:30 p.m. – Division 2 – Detroit Country Day (35-1) vs. Tecumseh (57-2-1)
A first-time champion is guaranteed in Division 2, as neither Country Day nor Tecumseh has won a Final before and the former will be playing in its first championship match. St. Francis, Northville and Our Lady of the Lake also will be playing for first titles, while Everest will be playing for a repeat in Division 4 and Monroe St. Mary and Rockford to add to past successes.
Hockey Weekly Action Photos captured the following from Friday’s action.
Essexville Garber’s Audrey Ball connects as Tecumseh’s Lauren Kilbarger (4) and a teammate put up a block in Division 2. Tecumseh advanced with an 18-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19, 15-13 victory. Ball finished with 27 kills as the Dukes closed the season 43-13-2.
Detroit Country Day’s Leah Green (14) unleashes a spike toward a Battle Creek Harper Creek block during the Yellowjackets’ 25-14, 24-26, 25-17, 25-23 victory in Division 2. Green had six kills and four blocks.
Harper Creek’s Camille Robinson (10) sends a kill attempt toward the Country Day side of the court. Robinson finished with 15 kills as the Beavers ended the season 52-5.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Felicity Mugler winds up for a kill attempt with Cass City’s Shelby Ignash putting up a block in their Division 3 Semifinal. Mugler had eight kills in the 25-12, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21 victory, and Ignash finished with 22 kills and four blocks.
Cass City’s Lexi Champagne (12) sends a ball toward the blocks of St. Mary’s Olivia Beaudrie (2) and McKenna Payne (11). Beaudrie had three blocks and Payne two for the match, and Champagne finished with four kills and 13 digs for the Red Hawks (37-10-1).
Traverse City St. Francis’ Landry Fouch winds up for a kill attempt during her team’s 26-24, 24-26, 21-25, 25-19, 15-7 win over Kalamazoo Christian. Fouch finished with 13 kills.
Reagan Zuiderveen sets for a Kalamazoo Christian teammate. She finished with 40 assists and 15 digs as the 2023 champion Comets closed this season 31-9-2.
TOP PHOTO Tecumseh’s Maddy Vanblack (2) elevates for a kill attempt during her team’s five-set win over Essexville Garber in Division 2. Vanblack finished with 11 kills and 19 digs.
After 2021 Runner-Up Finish, North Branch Ends 2022 Back On Top
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 19, 2022
BATTLE CREEK – Natasha Bickel had an up-close look the last time North Branch won a Finals volleyball title. As a ball girl, she was able to watch the Broncos take home a championship at Kellogg Arena.
On Saturday, Bickel got to experience being on the court to win one.
“I remember when I was a ball girl one of the years we won states (2016) and one of the years we didn’t,” Bickel, a senior middle hitter, said. “Except for last year, we haven’t really came this far. Coming back here, being in the Finals and winning it? It put the cherry on top.”
Bickel and the Broncos defeated Cadillac 31-29, 25-18, 25-17 in the Division 2 Final. It was the fourth title for the program, and first since 2016.
“We put a lot into this,” Bickel said. “We’ve poured our lives into this sport. It’s really awesome. This was our goal since we were little. As we were going up every year we were pushing for it, and last year we came so, so close to doing it. We added a freshman and she’s amazing, and everybody is healthy this year. It was just really, really awesome.
North Branch was the Division 2 runner-up a year ago, losing to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in the Final. The Broncos downed the Irish in the Regional Final this year, and didn’t drop a set the rest of the way, sweeping Mount Morris in the Quarterfinal and Grand Rapids South Christian in the Semifinal.
So it may have caught some off guard when Cadillac had some early success Saturday night.
Cadillac had North Branch (53-7) on the ropes quickly, jumping out to a 16-9 lead in the first set and forcing the Broncos to take a pair of timeouts over a five-point span.
Vikings middle hitter Carissa Musta, who stands 6-foot-4, was a major reason for that. She had three straight blocks, four total, and two kills during a 10-point run.
While North Branch scrambled to find a way to hit around her, it struggled to get into its offense, and went down 10 before starting to dig out.
“I just said, keep battling guys, keep battling,” North Branch coach Jim Fish said. “That’s the mark of a good team that they’re not going to give up. We didn’t panic, which was good. That’s a huge comeback.”
When the Broncos did dig out, it led to an epic end of the set. North Branch fought off eight Cadillac set points before finally taking the lead back at 29-28.
Freshman Aubree Deshetsky, who kept the Broncos alive initially with four straight high-pressure serves, had the final three kills of the set to put it away. She had eight kills total in the set.
“Aubree Deshetsky’s a stud,” Fish said. “She’s a stud, she does a lot for our team. We had everybody back, and she forced her way into our lineup. She’s just a great player. She’s going to be heard for the next three years.”
While the first-set defeat could have been a back-breaker for a Cadillac team looking to pull an upset, it did not wilt. The Vikings stood toe-to-toe with the Broncos in the second set, despite playing from behind for nearly all of it.
Cadillac (34-11-4) even tied the set at 18 before Bickel helped North Branch rattle off the final seven points to take it. Bickel had three kills in the final stretch, showing off power and finesse in the process.
The Broncos flexed their muscle in the third set, building a 20-8 lead with eight straight points – seven on Bickel’s serve. Her block then put North Branch a point away, and the match was won on a service error.
“If we could have just gotten one of those set points (in the first set), who knows what would have happened,” Cadillac coach Michelle Brines said. “I was really proud of my team, because I don’t know that people gave us much of a chance at all. And, we just played really tough. We played pretty tough for the first set and a half, then it kind of seemed like we were running out of steam a little bit and they were asserting their will.”
Deshetsky finished with 13 kills and 14 digs for the Broncos, while Clara Gyomory had 12 kills and Bickel had 11. Alana Deshetsky finished with nine kills and 22 digs, Hailey Green had 25 digs and Adrienne Greschaw had 45 assists for the Broncos.
Musta led Cadillac with 16 kills and seven blocks. Brooke Ellens had 23 digs, and Cassie Jenema had 30 assists and 17 digs.
PHOTOS (Top) North Branch celebrates its Division 2 championship Saturday at Kellogg Arena. (Middle) The Broncos’ Adrienne Greschaw (1) sets as Cadillac awaits the kill attempt. (Below) Cadillac’s Carissa Musta (9) powers a hit toward a North Branch block.