2021 Division 2 Player & Coach of the Year

<p>In 2021, Division 2 was once again the home for powerhouse programs to shine.</p> <p>The state finals had the three-time defending champions, along with three programs that are quite familiar with winning state championships.</p> <p>The skill level of the players and the coaches was at an elite level in 2021 for Division 2. It wasn’t easy to pick the best of the best, but here’s our take.</p> <h4><strong>2021 D2 Player of the Year</strong></h4> <h5><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24844" first="Alyssa" last="Borellis"], Notre Dame Prep</strong></h5> <p><img class="size-medium wp-image-172026 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/DSC_1247-1-213x300.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="300" />Borellis has been another special player that plays multiple positions for Notre Dame Prep. She has a skillset that can allows her to excel anywhere on the floor.</p> <p>Early in the season, NDP looked like it could be the best team in the state, handing Marian its lone loss of the season. Then, a thumb injury to Borellis during the Beast of the East Tournament had everyone wondering just what the Irish would be able to do.</p> <p>The senior setter/outside missed a month of play while her teammates navigated the murky waters. When she returned to the lineup for finals week, it was clear that NDP was able to take its game up a notch and return to being one of the best squads in the nation.</p> <p>Even missing a month, Borellis still had 430 kills, 663 assists and 274 digs during the season. She finishes her NDP career with 1,800 kills, 2,639 assists, 1,334 digs and 276 aces. More importantly, she helped bring a Division 2 state title back to Pontiac.</p> <p><strong>Special Mention: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="24853" first="Evelyn" last="Doezema"], Grand Rapids Christian; [player_tooltip player_id="24871" first="Maradith" last="O’Gorman"], Lakewood; [player_tooltip player_id="24870" first="Serena" last="Nyambio"], Detroit Country Day; [player_tooltip player_id="24842" first="Josie" last="Bloom"], Notre Dame Prep.</p> <h4><strong>2021 D2 Coach of the Year</strong></h4> <h5><strong>Jim Fish, North Branch</strong></h5> <p>You can never be too surprised what Jim Fish is able to accomplish with his volleyball team, but even he was a bit shocked this year.</p> <p>With a roster of one senior, five juniors and nine sophomores, Fish was able to get North Branch to the Division 2 final. Even more impressive, the Broncos topped Lakewood in the semifinal while dealing with major injuries to the starting lineup. The poised coach was hard pressed to find the words to explain how his team advanced, calling it the “gutsiest win” he’s ever seen as coach.</p> <p>Everyone looked at North Branch as a definite title contender for 2022 and 2023, Fish managed to put the pieces together to make them a contender this season.</p> <p>Notre Dame Prep’s Betty Wroubel deserves a lot of credit as well. She started the year with a veteran squad with high expectations, but dealt with a lot of injuries to lead the Irish to a 64-1 record and the Division 2 state title.</p> <p><strong>Special Mention: </strong>Betty Wroubel, Notre Dame Prep; Jenny Nate, Niles.</p>