Looking Ahead: Potential 2021 Miss Volleyball Finalists
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There aren’t many honors in the state of Michigan greater than being named Miss Volleyball. An award that is based on a four-year prep career, Miss Volleyball truly reflects the best of the best. Recent winners include Julia Bishop Julia…
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Continue ReadingThere aren’t many honors in the state of Michigan greater than being named Miss Volleyball.
An award that is based on a four-year prep career, Miss Volleyball truly reflects the best of the best.
Recent winners include Julia Bishop Julia Bishop 5'10" | S Mercy | 2021 State MI (2020), Jess Mruzik Jess Mruzik 6'2" | OH Mercy | 2020 State MI (2019) and Madeline Chinn Madeline Chinn 6' 3" | OH Notre Dame Prep | 2019 State MI (2018).
Each year, 10 players are put up as Miss Volleyball finalists. Being a finalist is quite an honor itself.
It’s not easy to predict all 10 finalists, but here are some players I expect to see among the field next fall (in alphabetical order).
Braelyn Berry Braelyn Berry 5'8" | OH Morley Stanwood | 2022 State MI , Morley Stanwood OH: Predicting Miss Volleyball finalists from Division 3 and Division 4 isn’t easy, but it’s hard to ignore Berry. She is the only Division 3 player to earn All-State honors each of her first three years of play. She was Third Team All-State in D3 as a freshman, Second Team as a sophomore and First Team as a junior. Berry has over 850 kills and 1,250 digs in her career, and is approaching 200 aces.
Alyssa Borellis Alyssa Borellis 5'11" | S Notre Dame Prep | 2022 State #33 Nation MI , S/OH/MH Notre Dame Prep: The Irish are no stranger to the Miss Volleyball Award and Borellis definitely should be in the running next year. The do-everything standout has the Irish as a D2 quarterfinalist this season and she has been First Team All-State the last two seasons, while earning Third Team honors as a freshman in 2018. You’ll be hard to find a player in this class with more overall production than Borellis. She has over 1,900 assists, 1,300 kills, 1,000 digs, 200 aces and 200 blocks over her three-year prep career.
Ava Brizard Ava Brizard 6'0" | OH Marian | 2022 State #16 Nation MI , OH Marian: Brizard has been a key piece to the Mustangs since joining the varsity squad as a freshman in 2018. She has Marian as a D1 quarterfinalist this season and is approaching 1,500 kills for her career while hitting .351 over her three seasons with Marian. As a freshman, she was Honorable Mention All-State in Division 1. She moved up to Second Team All-State in 2019 and was First Team All-State this fall.
Evelyn Doezema Evelyn Doezema 6'2" | OH Grand Rapids Christian | 2022 State #34 Nation MI , OH Grand Rapids Christian: Doezema has made a lot of strides during her three seasons with the Eagles. Starting as a limited middle, Doezema has developed into a great all-around player. Doezema was a First Team All-State pick in 2019 and a Second Team All-State honoree in 2020. Already a two-time state champion, she has GRC as a D2 quarterfinalist this season. Doezema has over 800 kills and 250 digs in her prep career, while also approaching 200 blocks.
Brooke Dzwik Brooke Dzwik 5'10" | OH Battle Creek St. Phil | 2022 State MI , Battle Creek St. Philip: St. Philip has produced a lot of great talent over its proud history and Dzwik is the next in line. She has been a featured piece of the team the last three seasons and was Second Team All-State in Division 4 as a freshman and sophomore, while earning First Team honors this fall. Dzwik has St. Philip as a D4 quarterfinalist this year. Her footwork and instincts are on par with the best in the state.
Taylor Humphrey Taylor Humphrey 6'2" | OH Byron Center | 2022 State #186 Nation MI , OH Byron Center: Humphrey has been a top hitter for the Bulldogs the last two seasons and had Byron Center as one of the top teams in Division 1 throughout the 2020 campaign. She has had over 400 kills each of the last two years and was Third Team All-State in 2019 and First Team All-State in 2020.
Serena Nyambio Serena Nyambio 6'2" | MB Country Day | 2022 State #17 Nation MI , MH Detroit Country Day: They don’t get much more explosive at the net than Nyambio. The 6’2” Nyambio plays well above the net and also is a dominant blocker on defense. If not for facing Notre Dame Prep in district play, the Yellowjackets would be a top D2 contender the past few years. Nyambio was Second Team All-State in 2019 and First Team All-State this fall. She’s added a lot of new wrinkles to her game and has proven herself to be more than just a power arm.
Maradith O’Gorman Maradith O’Gorman 6'2" | RS Lakewood | 2022 State #24 Nation MI , OPP Lakewood: The Vikings have had the luxury of having Maradith, along with her 2021 sister Aubrey, on the roster for years. Aubrey was a finalist for the 2020 Miss Volleyball and Maradith seems like a lock to be a finalist in 2021. She is the only member of the Class of 2022 to be named First Team All-State all three years of her prep career thus far. O’Gorman has vastly improved her all-around games over the last three years and she has Lakewood as a D2 quarterfinalist this year.
Other contenders: Kendyl Andrews Kendyl Andrews 5'8" | S Flushing | 2022 State MI , Flushing; Carlina Bender Carlina Bender 5'5" | DS/L Hudsonville | 2022 State MI , Josie Bloom Josie Bloom 5'6" | DS/L Notre Dame Prep | 2022 State #150 Nation MI , Notre Dame Prep; Hudsonville; Renee Brines Renee Brines 5'9" | S Cadillac | 2022 State MI , Cadillac; Audrey Brown Audrey Brown 6'0" | OH Seaholm | 2022 State MI , Birmingham Seaholm; Brooklyn Conner, Forest Hills Central; Seiler Hruska Seiler Hruska 6'1" | OH Marquette | 2022 State MI , Marquette; Morgan Lockhart Morgan Lockhart 6'2" | OH Country Day | 2022 State MI , Detroit Country Day; Emma Mirabelli Emma Mirabelli 6'0" | OH TC Christian | 2022 State MI , Traverse City Christian; Emily Struckmeyer Emily Struckmeyer 6'1" | MB Lowell | 2022 State MI , Lowell; Sarah Sylvester Sarah Sylvester 6'3" | MB Marian | 2022 State #126 Nation MI , Marian; Kyla Wiersema Kyla Wiersema 6'0" | MB Western Michigan Christian | 2022 State MI , Western Michigan Christian.