Mercy outlasts loaded field to win 2019 Beast of the East Tournament
The 2019 Beast of the East Tournament was advertised to be the best collection of volleyball in the state of Michigan, and it delivered. A tremendous field made for an exciting tournament at Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy on Saturday and…
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Continue ReadingThe 2019 Beast of the East Tournament was advertised to be the best collection of volleyball in the state of Michigan, and it delivered.
A tremendous field made for an exciting tournament at Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy on Saturday and the semifinals and finals were the caliber of anything you will see at Battle Creek next month.
In the end, it was top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy that navigated the field and claimed the championship with a 30-28, 25-17 win over third-ranked Lowell in the championship match.
“Everyone here was coming with their best game and playing at their highest level, and as the day continued, the talent level of your opponent only got stronger. Even though you were tired, you had to continuously raise your game and play through it. It was quite a challenge and I am proud of the girls for playing at a high level throughout the day,” Mercy coach Loretta Vogel said. “I am glad that next weekend, we don’t have anything on our schedule. We are going to need to be in whirlpools and covered in ice packs for a few days.”
The first set of the final alone was championship-caliber volleyball. Mercy established a 16-10 lead before Lowell fought back and led 21-20. The set became a showcase of Lowell outside Jenna Reitsma against Mercy setter Julia Bishop. Reitsma finished points for the Red Arrows and then Bishop would answer by dialing up a new Marlins hitter.
Mercy fought off a set point at 25-24 thanks to a block from Bishop and Ellie Tisko, but Lowell would then fight off three set points before the Marlins eventually finished thinks off with a Charli Atimeo ace.
In the second set, Mercy got off to a 6-1 lead and didn’t look back.
“Against that good of a team, you just can’t keep digging yourself a big hole,” Lowell coach Jordan Drake said. “We were able to fight back in the first set, but not in the second. Mercy is a great team and you can’t let them get too much momentum or they will run with it.”
Bishop was dialed in throughout the day, but her sets and reads were at their best in the final. She would pick up a pair of kills in the second set to help the Marlins avenge a previous loss to Lowell last month when Jess Mruzik was playing in Egypt.
“Being able to play Lowell again was great and to do it with our full team back. That helped a lot because Lowell played great,” Bishop said. “Being able to play them this late in the season helps because it really forced us to be at our best.”
The semifinals made from some great volleyball as well. Mercy defeated fourth-ranked Mattawan in three sets, 20-25, 25-13, 15-11. The Wildcats took the fight to the Marlins in the opening set, but Mercy made the necessary adjustments to take the following two sets.
“I really like to know what teams are going to do and their tendencies, and I just didn’t have a lot on Mattawan until we played them, and I don’t like that,” Vogel said. “As the first set was going on, we were really picking up more reads on them and I think we were able to start anticipating more things in the second set.”
Lowell faced Grand Rapids Christian, the top-ranked team in Division 2, in its semifinal. Both sets were competitive, but the Red Arrows swept the Eagles by scores of 25-18, 25-22.
“I think we really played well and it was a great experience to get to play so many good teams and perform as well as we did,” Reitsma said. “We really came together as a team in those close sets and I think it is something we can really build on going forward.”
2019 Beast of the East Tournament
Pool Play Results (Order of finish)
Pool A: 1. Mercy, 2. L’Anse Creuse North, 3. South Christian, 4. Flushing
Pool B: 1. Grand Rapids Christian, 2. Utica Eisenhower, 3. Detroit Country Day, 4. Kalamazoo Central
Pool C: 1. Lowell, 2. Notre Dame Prep, 3. Anchor Bay, 4. Troy
Pool D: 1. Mattawan, 2. Lake Orion, 3. Dakota, 4. Cass Tech
Pool E: 1. Coopersville, 2. Marian, 3. Rochester Adams, 4. Woodhaven
Pool F: 1. Clarkston, 2. SMCC, 3. Portage Central, 4. Grosse Pointe North
Pool G: 1. Bloomfield Hills, 2. Oxford, 3. Northville, 4. Romeo
Pool H: 1. Stoney Creek, 2. Schoolcraft, 3. Midland Dow, 4. Regina
Gold Bracket First Round Results
Mercy def. Utica Eisenhower 25-13, 25-22
Stoney Creek def. Oxford 25-21, 25-22
Coopersville def. SMCC 25-22, 25-19
Mattawan def. Notre Dame Prep 25-18, 25-17
Lowell def. Lake Orion 25-17, 25-18
Marian def. Clarkston 25-29, 25-22
Schoolcraft def. Bloomfield Hills 25-14, 25-12
Grand Rapids Christian def. L’Anse Creuse North 25-10, 26-24
Gold Bracket Quarterfinal Results
Mercy def. Stoney Creek 25-10, 25-16
Mattawan def. Coopersville 25-23, 25-18
Lowell def. Marian 25-19, 27-25
Grand Rapids Christian def. Schoolcraft 25-20, 25-17
Gold Bracket Semifinal Results
Mercy def. Mattawan 20-25, 25-13, 15-11
Lowell def. Grand Rapids Christian 25-18, 25-22
Gold Bracket Final Results
Mercy def. Lowell 30-28, 25-17
*Silver Bracket Champions: Anchor Bay
*Bronze Bracket Champions: Troy