2020 Prep Dig Michigan D1 Player & Coach of the Year
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The 2020 prep season has finally been wrapped up. While it’s nearly February of 2021, the lengthened 2020 season was able to reach a conclusion last week and we can begin handing out our season awards. Division 1 once again…
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Continue ReadingThe 2020 prep season has finally been wrapped up.
While it’s nearly February of 2021, the lengthened 2020 season was able to reach a conclusion last week and we can begin handing out our season awards.
Division 1 once again displayed the very best the state has to offer and featured a lot of future Division 1 stars.
D1 Player of the Year: Ava Brizard Ava Brizard 6'0" | OH Marian | 2022 State #16 Nation MI , Jr. OH Marian
Coming into the 2020 season, we knew that Marian had a lot of potential and the Mustangs showed just how much potential it had, winning the state championship.
Leading the way was junior Ava Brizard Ava Brizard 6'0" | OH Marian | 2022 State #16 Nation MI , the powerful outside hitter that plays with loads of intensity.
Throughout the year, Brizard played at an elite level. The N.C. State commit has been named our 2020 D1 Player of the Year.
At the net, Brizard put down 598 kills this season while hitting an impressive .395 for the year.
She saved her best performance for last, racking up 29 kills while hitting .481 in the state championship sweep of Lowell.
Also a standout passer, Brizard had 412 digs on the season and was one of the team’s top defensive options in the back row.
Brizard is sure to be very difficult to stop in 2021.
Other Considerations
Jenna Reitsma Jenna Reitsma 5'11" | OH Lowell | 2021 State MI , Sr. OH Lowell: Reitsman guided Lowell back to the D1 state final with 897 kills, 429 digs, 63 aces and 43 blocks. The Marquette-bound outside hitter was truly a program-changer for the Red Arrows.
Julia Bishop Julia Bishop 5'10" | S Mercy | 2021 State MI , Sr. S. Mercy: The Miss Volleyball winner guided Mercy to a regional final in 2020 and continued to prove she’s the measuring stick for setters in the state. Bishop, a Michigan State commit, had over 1,000 assists, 120 kills, 68 aces and nearly 200 digs.
Claire Nowicki Claire Nowicki 6'0" | OH Clarkston | 2021 State MI , Sr. OH Clarkston: Nowicki led Clarkston to a state semifinals appearance while taking Marian to a five-set thriller in Battle Creek. Nowicki did a little bit of everything for the Wolves. She had 385 kills, 287 digs, 43 blocks and 24 aces.
D1 Coach of the Year: Mayssa Cook, Marian
There’s no denying that Marian had a lot of talent to work with this season, but anytime you can take a team without a senior on the roster and win a state championship, that’s quite an accomplishment.
Cook coached Marian to its first state championship since 2010 and earned the second title of her coaching career.
Cook consistently challenged her young team throughout the year and didn’t let them think about their potential for 2021. She instilled the confidence in the squad, which used a sophomore libero and setter, to make a run all the way to the championship.
Other Considerations: Jordan Drake, Lowell; Kelly Pinner, Clarkston; Kacy Byron, Novi