Division 3 semifinals recap: Schoolcraft, SMCC sweep their way into the final
Throughout the 2019 MHSAA season, Schoolcraft and St. Mary Catholic Central have been atop the Division 3 rankings. As volleyball fans dreamt over a possible meeting, the two never crossed paths during the regular season. Now, they will finally meet…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThroughout the 2019 MHSAA season, Schoolcraft and St. Mary Catholic Central have been atop the Division 3 rankings.
As volleyball fans dreamt over a possible meeting, the two never crossed paths during the regular season.
Now, they will finally meet in Saturday’s Division 3 state final after dispatching of their respective semifinal opponents in straight sets.
Both coaches showed respect to each other, but were confident in their squad’s skills.
“Our focus is going to be the same and its going to be what do we do really great and how can we make adjustments? Our defense is going to have to be on their toes early on because I know (SMCC) has more weapons than what we saw (Friday). But, we are going to welcome the challenge,” Schoolcraft coach Erin Onken said of the Kestrels. “(Saturday) is going to be aggressive and we are going to have to keep our composure a little bit sooner. We are a strong defensive team and we shake off things really well. We are expecting them to make some really great plays and it’s going to be a fun match to be part of. We’re going to make great plays. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
“With (Andelyn) Simkins, she is going to get her (kills). Other than that, they are going to have to earn points on us,” SMCC coach Karen O’Brien said of Schoolcraft. “We will do our best to defend her, but she is a heck of a player. I think we have, from start-to-finish, more hitters and we can bring a little bit of variety with our offense. They just don’t have Simkins, they have two middles that have improved tremendously from the beginning of the year. To me, it is going to be about who is going to play defense.”
Schoolcraft overwhelms Valley Lutheran
Kelby GoldschmedingSchoolcraft didn’t let the moment be too big for them, as they were very business-like in their sweep of Valley Lutheran 25-10, 25-11, 25-12.
There wasn’t an area of the game that Schoolcraft didn’t excel, as the Eagles hit .342 as a team and produced 13 aces, while holding the Chargers to just .013 hitting.
“I think they got lucky. I mean, let’s face it, we are the better team,” Valley Lutheran coach Jon Frank joked after the match. “(Schoolcraft) does everything well. We knew their offensive was stacked, but their defense was just so tough to get a kill on. We thought we had some pretty good attacks and they would dig them up.”
From the start of the match, Schoolcraft took control. They established a 9-2 lead in the opening set and never looked back. Frank said he hoped the Eagles would overlook his Chargers, but that was not the case.
“We don’t overlook anybody,” Onken said. “We have done a great job of that all year. We have played some great teams and played some lesser teams. I think we go out and try to respect our opponent and make adjustments based on what they do. We will never overlook anybody.”
Miss Volleyball runner-up Andelyn Simkins led the way with 13 kills, but the Eagles showed their hitting depth in the win. Maggie Morris had seven kills while Anna Schuppel had six. Both hit over .420 in the match. Setter Kayla Onken spread the ball around well for 28 assists while picking up four aces and Kelby Goldschmeding led the defense with nine digs.
Valley Lutheran was led by libero Kelsy Vittitow, who had 13 digs while facing the Schoolcraft arsenal. Peyton Barnikowski put down six kills and had six digs while setter Sydney Krause had 16 assists and seven digs.
SMCC wares out Beaverton
Mikayla HautMaking a return trip to Battle Creek after losing to Bronson in the 2018 semifinal, the SMCC volleyball team made Kellogg Arena feel more like home in Friday’s 25-20, 25-17, 25-7 win over Beaverton.
“Last year when we were here, we played a great first three sets and then the pressure got to us,” O’Brien said. “I think being able to be here last year helped the whole program. The nerves weren’t as bad.”
The Beavers were making their first semifinal appearance on Friday and they played with admitted anxiousness against a perennial power in the Kestrels.
While Beaverton was competitive early on, the experience and depth of SMCC became too much for them in the later stages of the match. A 10-10 tie in the second set would turn into a 5-0 run for the Kestrels, who took a 16-11 lead and ultimately finished the game by scoring 15 of the last 22 points.
That momentum carried into the third set, as SMCC scored the first nine points and cruised into the final.
Mikayla Haut was on her game, racking up 24 kills while hitting .455 and adding 20 digs and three aces. Abbie Costlow added nine kills for the Kestrels while Payton Osborne tallied 18 digs and Grace Lipford had nine digs with 15 assists.
Beaverton was led by Mady Pahl and Molly Gerow, who each had six kills. Pahl also led the team in digs with 15 while also contributing 15 assists. Averie Bassage and Macie Jerome each added 10 digs for the Beavers.