Lowell hands Mercy its first loss to win Marlins’ Tournament
Looking to show it can hang with the best anywhere in the state, Lowell made the long trip to Warren on Saturday to compete in a talent-heavy Mercy Varsity Tournament. When the day was done, the Red Arrows put the…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingLooking to show it can hang with the best anywhere in the state, Lowell made the long trip to Warren on Saturday to compete in a talent-heavy Mercy Varsity Tournament.
When the day was done, the Red Arrows put the rest of the state on notice by winning the championship, including a dominant 25-14, 25-14 win over unbeaten and top-ranked Mercy in the final.
“That is why we come here, is to see some great teams we don’t get to compete against very often,” Lowell coach Jordan Drake said. “The west side of the state has some great teams too, but you want to really test yourself against everyone. This was a great chance to play against some really solid teams and our girls responded well.”
Lowell currently sits fourth in our Division 1 rankings, but they are likely to be moving up after Saturday’s performance against the Marlins. Mercy continues to be without Miss Volleyball finalist Jess Mruzik (Michigan), who just wrapped up MVP honors in the Girls U18 World Championship in Cairo, Egypt while leading Team USA to gold. However, the loss of Mruzik hadn’t kept the Marlins from going unbeaten without her to this point.
After an early deficit in the first set, Lowell took over thanks to a 6-0 rally that broke an 8-8 tie. The Red Arrows used great serving and timely defense to keep the Marlins from ever getting on much of a rally.
“(Mercy) is a really great team and our focus all along has been on serving and passing,” Drake said. “Our defenders have played their butts off all year and really played great (Saturday).”
Leading the defensive effort was junior libero Emma Hall. Hall was a right side for the Red Arrows last season and transitioned to the back row this year to give Lowell its strongest lineup.
“It’s been a huge difference in mindset for her,” Drake said of Hall. “She’s really embraced it and become a great leader in the back row. She was really phenomenal for us (Saturday). She was really taking over the game for big stretches.”
Jenna ReitsmaJenna Reitsma would have been tournament MVP if an award was given out. The junior outside did it all for the Red Arrows. She was quick to the ball in passing, delivered pinpoint serves and could bring the thunder at the net and from the back row on her attacks. Her play really propelled Lowell to a big lead in the second set that Mercy just couldn’t overcome.
“We just got ourselves out of position a little too often and you can’t do that against a good team,” Mercy coach Loretta Vogel said.
Along with Hall and Reitsma, Lowell had standout performances from senior middle Meghan Meyer and junior setter Sophie Powell.
Lowell earned pool wins over Utica Eisenhower (No. 20 D1), Grand Blanc (No. 14 D1) and Livonia Churchill (HM D1) before advancing to bracket play. The Red Arrows bested Bloomfield Hills (No. 16 D1) 25-16, 25-21 in the quarterfinals and topped Lake Orion (No. 15 D1) 25-21, 25-14 in the semifinal.
The Red Arrows are now 18-2 on the season and looking to make a deep postseason run after claiming a conference title in 2018. Lowell reached the Division 1 district final last year before losing in five sets to eventual state runner-up, Rockford.
“When I came in last year, I knew we had the talent, we just needed to find a drive and a purpose to be great,” Drake said. “I think the girls have that drive right now and they have really been grinding for years to become a top team. It’s been a lot of fun to see as a coach.”
Mercy Tournament Results
Pool Play
A: 1. Mercy 4-0, 2. Bloomfield Hills 3-1, 3. Marysville 2-2, 4. Woodhaven 1-3, 5. Rochester 0-4.
B: 1. Lowell 3-0, 2. Utica Eisenhower 2-1, 3. Gran Blanc 1-2, 4. Livonia Churchill 0-3.
C: 1. Lake Orion 3-0, 2. Ann Arbor Skyline 1-2, 3. Midland Dow 1-2, 4. Utica 1-2.
D: 1. Oxford 3-0, 2. Cass Tech 2-1, 3. Davison 1-2, 4. Grosse Pointe North 0-3.
Gold Bracket Results
Quarterfinals
Mercy def. Utica Eisenhower 25-20, 25-21
Ann Arbor Skyline def. Oxford 25-23, 25-18
Lake Orion def. Cass Tech 25-14, 25-14
Lowell def. Bloomfield Hills 25-16, 25-21
Semifinals
Mercy def. Ann Arbor Skyline 25-13, 25-17
Lowell def. Lake Orion 25-21, 25-14
Finals
Lowell def. Mercy 25-14, 25-14.
Silver Bracket Winner: Grand Blanc
Bronze Bracket Winner: Utica