D1 semifinal recap: Marian, Lowell win five-set classics

The Division 1 semifinals didn’t disappoint. Throughout the weekend we saw a number of sweeps, but Division 1 ended up providing us with a pair of five-set classics. The opener saw Marian claw past Clarkston, and that was followed up by Lowell shaking off some rust to edge Novi. Friday’s winners will now face off on Saturday at 2 p.m. from Kellogg Arena in what should be another exciting contest. Here’s a recap of how each team managed to advance: Marian pays tribute to AD with win over Clarkston [player_tooltip player_id="24846" first="Ava" last="Brizard"] The Marian volleyball team had a lot on its mind Friday, as the Mustangs lost their athletic director, David Feldman, Thursday night following a lengthy battle with COVID-19. Feldman’s passing was felt throughout Kellogg Arena, as he was a big part of the high school athletic community. The Mustangs sported signs on their shoes in honor of Feldman, and played with the fight he’d love to see from his athletes as they prevailed 22-25, 25-18, 11-25, 25-21, 15-11. Clarkston knew Marian may be the favorite on paper, but the Wolves were game for a showdown from the opening point. The Wolves took the opening set and then put together a dominant third with the 25-11 victory that had Marian on the verge of elimination. “That third set, we just dominated offensively and made very minimal errors. That’s what this game is about, more positives than negatives,” Clarkston coach Kelly Pinner said. Marian responded each time, taking the second set with their usual brand of powerful play. In the fourth, the Mustangs broke a 20-20 tie by scoring five of the final six points. In the fifth, Marian rode the momentum of the fourth set and used their onslaught of arms to finish off the Wolves. “I thought Clarkston really brought their ‘A’ game tonight, and I believe my team will bring their ‘A’ game (Saturday),” Marian coach Mayssa Cook said. “In this match, we got to 15 first in the fifth set. We fought hard in the fourth and fifth.” Junior Ava Brizard Ava Brizard 6'0" | OH Marian | 2022 State MI looked great, putting up 22 kills with 17 digs to lead Marian. Sophia Treder Sophia Treder 6'0" | OH Marian | 2022 State MI added nine kills and 13 digs while Ella Schomer Ella Schomer 6'0" | RS Marian | 2023 State MI had eight kills with 14 digs. Ava Sarafa Ava Sarafa 6'0" | S Marian | 2023 State MI recorded 43 assists and 14 digs while Sarah Sylvester Sarah Sylvester 6'3" | MB Marian | 2022 State MI had seven kills and seven blocks. Lauren Hemming put up a team-high 29 digs as well. Claire Nowicki Claire Nowicki 6'0" | OH Clarkston | 2021 State MI had 22 kills and 18 digs to lead Clarkston on Friday. Paige Giehtbrock Paige Giehtbrock 6'0" | OH Clarkston | 2023 State MI , a sophomore standout, had 18 digs and 13 kills. Sydney Hasenfratz added nine kills, seven digs and six blocks. Shay Bordine had 35 assists for the Wolves while Summer Jidas Summer Jidas 5'5" | DS/L Clarkston | 2022 State MI had 23 digs. Lowell overcomes slow start to best Novi [player_tooltip player_id="14192" first="Jenna" last="Reitsma"] Lowell didn’t play in a quarterfinal on Tuesday, as Portage Central had to forfeit due to a positive COVID-19 test. That put the Red Arrows in a tough spot, as they hadn’t played any live competition in nine weeks heading into Friday’s clash with Novi. The rust showed early, as the Red Arrows dropped the opening set. However, they would regroup and eventually pick up a 17-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-27, 15-6 victory. “Not having that quarterfinal match to knock the rust off, I think that showed a little bit in the first set,” Lowell coach Jordan Drake said. “Besides (the seniors) we have a lot of kids on the team that haven’t been to this stage before and had that experience.” The story of the match became Jenna Reitsma Jenna Reitsma 5'11" | OH Lowell | 2021 State MI trying to figure out the Novi defense. The Wildcats won a number of battles, and really made the Marquette-bound Reitsma work, but she got the last laugh. Reitsma took 127 swings over the five sets and ended up with 41 kills, which ranks ninth all-time in MHSAA history for a single match. “She presents a lot of trouble to any defense. She is extremely knowledgeable of the game. Her volleyball IQ really shows when she gets out there,” Novi coach Kacy Byron said of Reitsma. “As soon as you start picking up one thing, she goes to a different area of the court. Not to mention she served really aggressively and played great defense against us. Overall, that was beyond a 5-star effort. It shows why she is going to Marquette.” Novi did an admirable job defensively, led by standout libero Rachel Jennings Rachel Jennings 5'9" | DS/L Novi | 2021 State MI , who had 29 digs. Rachel Karr Rachel Karr RS Novi | 2022 State MI , the setter, added 23 digs to go with 44 assists. Sarah Vellucci Sarah Vellucci 5'11" | OH Novi | 2023 State MI had 20 digs with 16 kills, while Megha Gondi had 14 kills and Gaby Cummings had 10. Reitsma added 23 kills and three aces to go with her 41 kills. Sydney Zandstra added eight kills with 28 digs. Emily Struckmeyer Emily Struckmeyer 6'1" | MB Lowell | 2022 State MI had six kills, 11 digs and 10 blocks, while Sophie Powell put up 48 assists and 16 digs. Emma Hall Emma Hall 5'11" | DS/L Lowell | 2021 State MI put up 25 digs as well. Lowell is now making a second consecutive finals appearance on Saturday. The Red Arrows are looking to win their first state championship in school history.