D1 Semifinal Recap: Northville, Marian Rematch In Final

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early in the 2022 MHSAA season, it became clear that Marian and Northville were going to be among the top contenders for the Division 1 state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The road to the final has taken some twists and turns, but that is where we now find ourselves, with No. 1 Marian and No. 2 Northville set to meet in Saturday's championship match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two advanced to the final on Thursday, with Northville outlasting Saline in five sets, while Marian fended off Forest Hills Northern in three sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Anyone that said they called it and it was going to be Marian vs. Northville, I call BS because both teams have had to work to get to this point,” Northville coach Sarah Lindstrom said of the final. “It was not handed to either of us. We have had to battle, and (Marian) has had to battle through injuries. The fact that it is the first and second (ranked) teams in the state, you don't get that in the national championships.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northville actually handed Marian its only loss of the season in the Beast of the East championship last month. Now, we get to see Round 2 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's how we got to this matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Marian def. FH Northern 25-23, 25-16, 25-19</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":247566,"width":353,"height":283,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/11/Marian-vs-FHN-VB-28-1024x820.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-247566" width="353" height="283"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='156287' first='Isabelle' last='Busignani']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs moved a step closer to a third consecutive D1 title with a sweep of Forest Hills Northern on Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first set was tight throughout, but nine kills from sophomore outside hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156287' first='Isabelle' last='Busignani']</strong> helped push the Mustangs to the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marian's offense got rolling from there, as it hit .389 as a team with a total of 51 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Overall, we followed the game plan. The hitters were hitting where we told them the shots were open,” Marian coach Mayssa Cook said. “Against a team of his caliber, it's impressive to hit (close to .400). They came to play and we had a great scouting report.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Busignani finished with 21 kills to lead the match, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66330' first='Ella' last='Schomer'] </strong>added 10. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152524' first='Molly' last='Banta'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108790' first='Mckenzie' last='Swanson'] </strong>each had six. Senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66328' first='Ava' last='Sarafa'] </strong>continued to add to her prep career, posting 36 assists to climb to 5,049 over her four years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Banta led the way in digs with 14, while Schomer had 13 and Sarafa had eight. Swanson added three blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Huskies were led by senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66314' first='Kennedy' last='Louisell']</strong>, who wrapped up a great career with 14 kills and seven digs. Juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110295' first='Elana' last='Erickson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110305' first='Kendall' last='Hopewell']</strong> each had 11 kills in the match and both also had 12 digs. Senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173606' first='Lauren' last='Hallas'] </strong>tallied 30 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Northville def. Saline 25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-13, 15-13</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":247567,"width":339,"height":266,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/11/17-Abby-Reck-1024x805.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-247567" width="339" height="266"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='66325' first='Abigail' last='Reck']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a match that couldn't have been much closer, but Northville avenged a previous loss to Saline by outlasting the Hornets in five sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saline had the momentum with a 2 sets to 1 advantage, but Northville came out with a new fire in the fourth and put up a dominant set with a 25-13 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I just kept telling them that we didn't have to do anything but be ourselves,” Lindstrom said. “We didn't have to be special, we didn't have to be fancy, all we had to do was be ourselves. We had to just keep fighting and power through because (Saline) is a driven team and one of the scariest teams in the state of Michigan.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the fifth, the two teams were tied on eight occasions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saline managed a 12-10 lead before Northville rallied for four straight points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='66325' first='Abigail' last='Reck']</strong> had two kills in the rally to put the Mustangs up 14-12.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hornets fought off one match point on a kill by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='140484' first='Anna' last='Hesse']</strong>, but an attack error on the next point ended the classic and allowed the Mustangs to reach their first MHSAA Division 1 final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“That was one of the best matches I have ever coached in,” Lindstrom said. “I am just so proud to be the coach of this team.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saline had an answer for almost everything Northville threw at it during Thursday's match. The Hornets mixed up their attack with a steady diet of four hitters. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173605' first='Laney' last='Burns'] </strong>put up an impressive 54 assists to go along with 13 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156313' first='Marie' last='Laurio']</strong> proved she's going to be a name to remember in years to come, as she had 21 kills and 18 digs for the Hornets. Hesse added 18 kills, while <strong>Beth Ann Ford </strong>had 12 and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153662' first='Catherine' last='Flaharty'] </strong>recorded 11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172207' first='Olivia' last='Behen']</strong> also played a tireless match, logging 25 digs and four aces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reck led Northville's offense with 22 kills to go along with 13 digs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110315' first='Avry' last='Nelson'] </strong>added 11 kills and four assisted blocks, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156293' first='Ella' last='Craggs'] </strong>had 45 assists and eight assists blocks.<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108714' first='Taryn' last='Rice'] </strong>led Northville's defense with 28 digs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110300' first='Ashlee' last='Gnau'] </strong>added 14 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->