Nine Standouts From Week 3
In this article:
Last week was a bit of a quiet one for the high school volleyball world, as most teams took it easy for a holiday weekend. However, there are still plenty of players that shined midweek and continue to have a…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingLast week was a bit of a quiet one for the high school volleyball world, as most teams took it easy for a holiday weekend.
However, there are still plenty of players that shined midweek and continue to have a breakout 2023 season.
Here’s nine notables from Week 3.
*Stats were provided through MaxPreps and Hudl
Aaron Smaka, Coach Grand Haven
Congrats to coach Smaka, who earned his 600th career victory on Friday night at home. Smaka joins a list of 43 coaches with 600 career MHSAA victories or more. Grand Haven has been playing a challenging schedule already this season and has 12 wins early in the 2023 season.
Taylor Cook Taylor Cook 5'10" | OH St. John's | 2025 State MI , Jr. OH St. Johns
The Red Wings have looked impressive early in the 2023 season. Last week they got a big four-set win over Mason to open up league play and they have managed to take sets against the likes of Forest Hills Northern, Forest Hills Central and South Christian. Cook has been a big catalyst for the success thus far. Last week she put up 20 kills against Mason in the win. She also added 12 digs and three aces. On the year, Cook has 108 kills and 81 digs for St. Johns.
Victoria Gray Victoria Gray 6'2" | MB Bedford | 2025 State #100 Nation MI , Jr. MH Bedford
The long middle for Bedford is well on her way to being the state’s leader in blocks once again. She’s already racked up 43 on the young season and is just one shy of 300 in her prep career already. Last seek she had 12 while continuing to finish at a high rate as an attacker. Gray is hitting .406 on the season with 98 kills after adding 30 last week over 11 sets.
Olivia Grenadier Olivia Grenadier 6'1" | MB Country Day | 2025 State #91 Nation MI , Jr. MH Country Day
Grenadier has been as dominant as expected so far in 2023. She’s hitting .437 on the season thus far with 163 kills over 33 sets. That’s nearly five kills per set. In a quad last week, she racked up 10 kills in three straight matches against the likes of top teams like L’Anse Creuse North, Mercy and Bloomfield Hills. She also hit .500 in two of the three matches.
Eden Hadfield, Jr. S Grand Traverse Academy
The junior for D4’s GTA has been a real difference maker from the service line in 2023. She’s got 37 aces over 17 sets in 2023. That includes nine over two league victories last week. In do different matches this year, Hadfield has managed 11 aces. This is also while running the GTA offense with 81 assists. In last week’s two league wins, Hadfield had 33 assists.
Kate Kalczynski Kate Kalczynski 6'1" | OH Mercy | 2027 State MI , Fr. OH Mercy
Mercy still is without their top star in Campbell Flynn Campbell Flynn 6'2" | S Mercy | 2025 State #4 Nation MI , but the Marlins are getting great production in her place by freshman Kate Kalczynski Kate Kalczynski 6'1" | OH Mercy | 2027 State MI . In a quad last week against LCN, Country Day and Bloomfield Hills, the freshman had 38 kills over seven sets. Her defensive play is getting better with each match. Last week she had 21 digs as well. This year, Kalczynski is the clear offensive leader for Mercy with 143 kills.
McKenna Payne McKenna Payne 5'7" | DS/L SMCC | 2025 State #105 Nation MI , Jr. DS/OH SMCC
The Kestrels are proving they can compete with any team in the state despite being a D3 program. They have defeated D1 programs like Skyline and Grand Blanc while also taking a set from Clarkston and playing competitively with D2’s top-ranked team, North Branch. Payne, an elite-level libero, is playing a DS and outside role for the Kestrels this season. She is stacking up big dig numbers while also coming through with consistent kills numbers. Payne is proving she’s a standout all-around player.
Jenna Southland Jenna Southland 6'1" | MB Three Rivers | 2024 State MI , Sr. OH/MH Three Rivers
Southland is one of the state’s most dynamic hitters and she’s got Three Rivers playing at a high level. Southland has 148 kills over 33 sets this season, hitting .333 in the process. Southland has also added 29 blocks, 53 digs and 17 aces. If she can continue to contribute in all these avenues, Three Rivers will be tough to get past.
Alissa Wynn, Sr. DS/L Montague
Wynn has been busy in the back row this season as she does her part to keep the Wildcats competitive against a tough schedule. Wynn is on pace to reach 1,000 career digs this season. Last week, Wynn recorded 40 digs for Montague to get to 156 on the season. The 156 digs come through only 28 sets of action, giving her an average of 5.6 per set.