Rising stars at the D2 state finals
Perhaps no division at the MHSAA state finals had a better display of young volleyball talent in the state of Michigan than Division 2. Each of the four semifinalists had numerous freshmen and sophomore contribute to their success all season…
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Continue ReadingPerhaps no division at the MHSAA state finals had a better display of young volleyball talent in the state of Michigan than Division 2.
Each of the four semifinalists had numerous freshmen and sophomore contribute to their success all season and in Battle Creek. Here’s a closer look at the rising stars that appeared in Kellogg Arena.
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Grand Rapids Christian
It’s hard to believe a team that won a state championship and performed so dominantly could have so many underclassmen leading the way. But, that was the case for the Eagles. GRC was led throughout the weekend by sophomore hitter Addie VanderWeide. The 6-foot outside had 15 kills with six digs in the semifinal win over Lakewood and followed that up with 17 kills, nine digs and two solo blocks in the final. VanderWeide is going to be a force in the Grand Rapids and state area for the next two years. Freshman middle Evie Doezema is also going to be a handful. Standing 6-3, Doezma had five kills with two assisted blocks in the semifinal and then added four kills in the championship. She should see an increased role in the GRC attack in 2019. The Eagles have a lot of defensive help for years to come as Lauren Peal and Elizabeth Rupp were impressive in Battle Creek. Both sophomores, Peal is the team’s libero while Rupp is a DS. Peal had 10 digs in the semifinal and then added 12 digs and six assists in the championship. Rupp had 12 digs over the two matches, but also served up four aces in the semifinal win over Lakewood.
Notre Dame Prep
While we look at the Irish having two Miss Volleyball finalists and think they were a veteran team, they actually had just three seniors and a total of eight freshmen and three sophomores on their finals roster. The Irish relied heavily on freshmen this year and none was more impressive than Aly Borellis. Following in the path of a potential four-year star like Katherine Carlson, Natalie Risi and Maddy Chinn, Borellis had 13 assists, 11 digs, seven kills and an ace in the semifinal win over Corunna. She then had 12 assists, nine digs and two kills in the finals loss to GRC. Bianca Giglio is a freshman hitter that the Irish turned to at times in Battle Creek as well. She had three kills with one block in the semifinal and a pair of digs in the championship. Sophia Sudzina is another freshman that saw action for the Irish in the finals. She had just one attack in the semifinal win, but certainly is in ND’s plans for the future. Defensively, the Irish already had steady libero Livy Kowalkowski. She was a big part of the 2017 championship run and had 16 digs over the two matches in Battle Creek this year. Freshman Josie Bloom also shows a lot of promise in the back row. She amassed 16 digs over the two matches in Battle Creek and has an improved serve as well.
Lakewood
It’s not hard to see where the future of the Lakewood volleyball program lies. It lies with the O’Gorman sisters. Freshman right side Maradith O’Gorman and sophomore middle Aubrey O’Gorman are a tremendous 1-2 punch for the Vikings. In the semifinal battle with Grand Rapids Christian, these two held their own. Maradith had 10 kills with nine assists and three digs in the loss while Aubrey amassed eight kills and two blocks. Aubrey stands 6-foot-3 while Maradith is 6-1. They will make the Vikings one of the top teams in D2 again next year. Another sophomore, Sophie Duits, sets both of them up. She had 13 assists, five digs and two aces in the semifinal loss.
Corunna
The Cavaliers should be pretty excited for next year, as they reached Battle Creek with just two seniors on the roster. While junior Elizabeth Norris led the state in kills, the Cavs also had three sophomores and one freshman contribute to their semifinal match with Notre Dame Prep. Freshman middle Ellie Toney was one of the top hitting options for Corunna outside of Norris, as she had six kills in the semifinal. She also added six digs and one assisted block. Sophomore Ava Gustafson saw some action at RS and picked up a dig and a block, but she will likely be mixed into the hitting rotation more in 2019. In the back row, sophomores Lilly Bower and Lailia Campos were in the mix at Battle Creek. Bower led the way for the two with five digs.