Volleyball: Fly like an Eagle
November 11, 2011
Nicole DeGrace knew that with her father Chip as Frankenmuth’s volleyball coach, the Eagles would go places.
But when he told them where he thought they were headed, she didn’t believe him.
At the end of tryouts in August, Chip DeGrace -- promoted this fall after more than a decade coaching at lower levels in the program -- told his new varsity players they'd finish this season at the MHSAA Finals in Battle Creek.
“I didn’t think much of it. He believed it, but we were like, ‘Are you serious?’” Nicole said. “I didn’t know how serious he was.”
Serious enough that the Eagles are one win from making his prediction come true.
Frankenmuth, by many accounts, is a basketball school when it comes to girls sports. But the Eagles are headed to the last week of the season after upsetting No. 4 North Branch in five games Thursday for a Class B Regional title at Mount Morris Junior High (25-19, 19-25, 18-25, 25-20, 15-7).
It was just one arguably unexpected result in what’s turned into a tournament full of them. Canton upset reigning Class A runner-up Farmington Hills Mercy to win its first Regional ever, and Macomb Dakota and Charlevoix also won Regionals for the first time. Tecumseh won its first since 1992, with Lake Orion and Livonia Stevenson also needing at least a few decades to recall their last Quarterfinal berth. Saginaw Valley Lutheran’s Regional championship was its first since 1983.
Thursday’s win gave Frankenmuth just its third Regional title in program history. All three have come during the last seven seasons, but the Eagles never have advanced further. And beating North Branch to get another shot made it arguably the best win in program history, adding to a season during which the Eagles (53-9-3) have set a school record for victories with four more than the previous best.
“Without a doubt, it’s the fact we have eight seniors on the team. That is the reason,” Chip DeGrace said, explaining why the program has taken such a big step this fall. “It’s (just) a coincidence my daughter is one of them. These kids came into high school as freshmen, and the combination of athletic talent, intelligence, competitiveness, and love for volleyball, you could see it.”
Granted, North Branch graduated significant contributors from last season’s Class B runner-up team. But the Broncos annually are considered a state powerhouse, with an MHSAA championship in 2009 and a Class A runner-up finish in 2007 helping boost that reputation.
Despite defeating the Broncos on Sept. 21 and eventually winning the Tri-Valley Conference East championship – the Eagles’ first league title since 2002 – Frankenmuth remained unranked and in the Broncos' shadow heading into Districts. North Branch closed the regular season by beating the Eagles at the all-division TVC Tournament, right after Frankenmuth lost senior libero Morgan Trinklein – who DeGrace called the best defensive specialist in program history – to a knee injury.
But there also was good news for the Eagles. Frankenmuth won its District, then beat No. 10 Mount Morris to open Regional play. Senior Emily Wee, an MHSAA hurdles champion, came back from an injury two-thirds of the way through the regular season and has provided reinforcement to a strong front line -- Nicole DeGrace’s 654 kills make the MHSAA record book list, as do junior Maddy Mertz’ 155 blocks. Three defensive specialists have upped their play in Trinklein's absence. And although senior Addie Loftus’ 839 assists fall a bit short of record book mention, they are all the more impressive considering the Eagles use two setters in their offense.
Thursday's victory also came near the end of a four-year string that included three coaches and the many system and position changes that come with turnover. When senior Olivia Shelton killed the final point Thursday, Nicole DeGrace said the feeling was a mix of validation and pride.
The Eagles will carry both into Tuesday’s Quarterfinal against another perennial power, Marysville, on North Branch’s home court.
“I think we’ve kinda learned it’s not as much about thinking. It’s more about just playing,” Nicole DeGrace said. “Most of the time in our huddle with my dad now, it’s ‘Stop thinking, just play.’ And when that happens, it’s crazy. It’s just awesome.”
Click for interactive brackets for all MHSAA classes.
Click for the Flint Journal story from Thursday's Frankenmuth/North Branch match.
PHOTOS
(Top) Frankenmuth celebrates its third Regional title ever after defeating North Branch in five games Thursday at Mount Morris High.
(Below) Senior Morgan Trinklein (10) injured her left knee in the final regular season match, but played a big part in the Eagles' TVC championship run.
(Photos courtesy of Frankenmuth volleyball.)
After Record Finish, Onsted Off To Fast Start
October 19, 2020
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
ONSTED – Last season the Onsted volleyball team had about as impressive a season as it could.
The Wildcats started by not losing until early October – a 28-match win streak – and finished with a school-record 50 victories.
What are they doing for an encore?
How about a 24-2 start this fall, a tremendous showing at a big quad in Bronson and they are on the verge of back-to-back Lenawee County Athletic Association titles.
“We’ve played well at times,” Onsted coach Rhonda Hubbard said. “Everyone is making contributions to the team. We’re doing well in some areas. We're attacking the serve and we are doing the things we need to do, and we are winning.”
Still, Hubbard is never completely satisfied. She’s hoping for more from a team that returns six key players from last year’s 10th-ranked, record-breaking club that lost in the Division 2 District Semifinals to Parma Western.
Hubbard doesn’t want to see such an early exit this time around.
“We can’t just waltz in and let the same thing happen to us this time,” she said. “Yeah, we rolled last year but I know what we are capable of. We have to perform, and we have to be more consistent.”
There was no long win streak to start the season as Onsted lost to Manchester on Sept. 11, the first day they played an official match. Since a loss to Erie Mason at Mason the following day, however, they have won 18 straight.
“We are 21-2, but I don’t think we should have lost to Manchester,” Hubbard said. “We should have had that one.
“We have to start bringing it in practice more often. We aren’t consistent. I can sometimes be unhappy with how we practice. That’s how we are going to improve.”
Mya Hiram and Kayla Ross are the senior co-captains. Hiram was third-team all-state in volleyball last year and followed that up with an all-state season in basketball. She’s bound for a college basketball career – she's committed to Ferris State University – but not before she leaves her mark on Onsted’s volleyball team.
She’s getting close to the career kills record, and she and Ross are Nos. 2-3 on the Wildcats’ career digs list.
The team’s biggest day came at Bronson when the Wildcats beat the host school, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian and Niles. They also beat Homer and Stockbridge earlier in the season and have collected wins over state-ranked Lenawee Christian and traditional LCAA championship contender Ida. Onsted also has a nonleague win over Adrian Madison, who has run its Tri-County Conference winning streak into the 30s. The Wildcats are likely to face the Trojans again in the upcoming county tournament.
Ross and Izzy Kisor both are serving at a 93.8-percent clip, while Hiram has 39 aces, Kate Gorney 21 and Kennedy Ross 20.
In attacking, Hiram has compiled 246 kills, an average of 3.56 per match. Hiram also has 208 digs, which is just ahead of Kayla Ross, who has 200. Kamryn Ross leads the team in assists, at 8.3 per match. Ruby Foster has been “block city,” Hubbard said, and added that Kayla Ross, Kisor, Kennedy Ross and Hiram lead the team in service points.
Hubbard is an Adrian graduate who teaches at Onsted. She’s attended Eastern Michigan University on a track scholarship. She won the 2019 county Coach of the Year award after the team broke the previous school records of wins, 46 from 2012.
Hubbard said the fewer matches this season is affecting the slow development of the team. She did say there is still time remaining for the Wildcats to piece together a stronger ending to the season than last year.
“We are down 33 to 35 sets than last year at this time,” she said. “Teams don’t want to play three out of five. They want to play two of three, which I don’t think a varsity team should be doing, at least on the weekends. Our dates are all full; we just haven’t played as much.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTO: Onsted’s Mya Hiram unloads over the net for a spike during a past season. (Photo by Dolores Clark-Osborne.)