Division 2 semifinals recap: GRC rolls on to final, Lakewood fends of NDP
We may see a repeat state champion in Division 2, as Grand Rapids Christian will defend its 2018 title on Saturday when the Eagles face Lakewood at 4 p.m. in Kellogg Arena. The Eagles swept Kingsley in their semifinal on…
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Continue ReadingWe may see a repeat state champion in Division 2, as Grand Rapids Christian will defend its 2018 title on Saturday when the Eagles face Lakewood at 4 p.m. in Kellogg Arena.
The Eagles swept Kingsley in their semifinal on Friday while Lakewood defeated Notre Dame Prep in four sets to advance to the championship match.
These two met in last year’s D2 semifinal, with the Eagles winning in three, but they haven’t faced off in 2019.
“I think we are (ready to win a state championship),” Lakewood coach Cam Rowland said. “There’s a familiarity with Grand Rapids Christian. We have not played them this year but a lot of our girls know each other very, very well. Grand Rapids Christian is really, really good and they have pieces that not other people have. We are familiar with those pieces in the sense that we get to go let it all out there. That’s something that’s really nice for us that not a lot of teams in Division 2 have.”
GRC coach Tiffannie Gates knows that the Vikings will pose a tough challenge behind Aubrey and Maradith O’Gorman.
“We came early and we watch them and obviously they have the O’Gorman sisters that are very good. I thought they played great defense (Friday) and they passed well. I think it’s going to be a battle, for sure,” Gates said of Lakewood.
The Eagles have had the target on their back all season, but Gates said their focus hasn’t been on adding to last year, only creating something special this year.
“We’ve never talked about defending, we’ve always talked about chasing,” Gates said. “I think that that mindset has helped get us (to the finals).”
Lakewood powers past Notre Dame Prep
Aubrey O’GormanLearning from last year’s semifinal loss, Lakewood came out swinging against Notre Dame Prep. The Vikings took the first two sets to help guide them to a 25-17, 25-21, 20-25, 25-20 victory over the Irish.
Nobody showed more growth a year from last year’s semifinal loss than junior Aubrey O’Gorman. After posting eight kills on 28 swings with eight attack errors against GRC last year, O’Gorman had 28 kills with just four errors on 47 swings against the Irish.”
“She went 8-8 out of however many attempts and hit .000 last year and (Friday) she was 28-4-47 and hit .511,” Rowland said of Aubrey. “I think last year’s match told Aubrey that she wasn’t good enough yet. That’s a word we use all the time, is ‘yet.’ She knew that if she wanted to (win a championship), she had to get better.”
Maradith O’Gorman was also strong, as she had 20 kills with 11 digs and three aces. Kiana Hummel added 18 digs while Skylar Bump had 44 assists, five kills and 16 digs.
The Irish have just two seniors and one junior on a very young roster, but they showed their traditional championship spirit by taking the third set on Friday and keeping things close in the fourth.
Aly Borellis had a standout night with 20 kills, 18 assists and eight digs. Bianca Giglio added eight kills while Olivia Kowalkowski had 20 digs, Josie Bloom had 14 digs and Margo Sudzina added 25 assists.
Grand Rapids Christian overwhelms Kingsley
Jordyn GatesKingsley was making its first semifinal appearance in 15 years on Friday, but the Stags drew the tough matchup of facing the defending champs.
The Stags were competitive in the opening set, but the Eagles proved to be too much and picking up a 25-21, 25-14, 25-10 victory to earn a third consecutive victory at Kellogg Arena.
“It’s much easier coming into this arena this year because we knew what to expect and we have a comfort level here,” GRC setter Jordyn Gates said. “We almost feel like it’s our house and that definitely helped us come out with some confidence.”
The Eagles hit .378 as a team, as Gates dished out 28 assists and had 15 digs and four kills. Addie VanderWeide led the attack with 19 kills while Evelyn Doezema had 10. Lauren Peal chipped in 11 digs.
Kingsley was led by Brittany Bowman, who had 12 kills and 14 digs. Austyn DeWeese added nine kills while Maddie Bies had 23 assists and Lark Jankewicz picked up seven digs.