D3 Finals Recap: SMCC rolls in rematch with Schoolcraft
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<p>The 2019 Division 3 state finals between SMCC and Schoolcraft was a five-set classic.</p>
<p>On Saturday, the Kestrels made sure this season’s championship was relatively drama-free.</p>
<p>SMCC jumped out quickly on the Eagles and didn’t let up, rolling to a 25-19, 25-16, 25-8 victory to claim its second consecutive championship.</p>
<p>“We knew to get (Schoolcraft) out of any type of system, we had to be very aggressive, attacking-wise,” SMCC coach Karen O’Brien said. “You’re going to win a state championship by being aggressive offensively. Once that (occurred) I thought we played extremely well.”</p>
<p>Schoolcraft (36-4) didn’t have a semifinal match on Thursday, as Valley Lutheran was forced to forfeit due to COVID-19. SMCC coach Karen O’Brien felt that would be an advantage for the Kestrels in the final and that seemed to be the case.</p>
<p>“It definitely would have helped to have some momentum going from a victory. That was a disadvantage for sure. That wasn’t why we lost or why we played the way we did (Saturday) at all,” Schoolcraft coach Erin Onken said. “We should have been able to walk in here with the kids that played here last year, as many as we have, we should have been able to come out with a lot more steam.”</p>
<p><img class="size-medium wp-image-126626 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/01/Celebration-300x281.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="281" />The Eagles couldn’t get the ball rolling consistently on offense, hitting just .070 for the match. SMCC, conversely, hit .321 as a team.</p>
<p>The Kestrels scored the opening six points of the match and never looked back.</p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="50288" first="Mikayla" last="Haut"] </strong>wrapped up her sterling prep career with 17 kills and 12 digs. <strong>Abbie Costlow </strong>finished up a great weekend with 14 kills.</p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24850" first="Kate" last="Collingsworth"] </strong>recorded 28 assists and seven digs while <strong>Jaydin Nowak </strong>had a team-high 23 digs.</p>
<p><strong>Maggie Morris </strong>had nine kills to lead Schoolcraft, while <strong>Anna Schuppel </strong>finished with six. <strong>Kayla Onken </strong>recorded 15 assists and six digs, while <strong>Kelby Goldschmeding </strong>had 15 digs.</p>
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