D1 Finals Underclassmen Standouts
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Finals weekend always provides a great look at some of the top players in the state. While most of the time those players can be juniors or seniors, we also see some of the breakout stars in the years ahead.…
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Continue ReadingFinals weekend always provides a great look at some of the top players in the state.
While most of the time those players can be juniors or seniors, we also see some of the breakout stars in the years ahead.
Division 1 provided a look at some of the top players in the state from the Class of 2026 and 2027 as well.
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Mercy
The Marlins won the state championship with a roster of just two seniors, as Mercy utilized nine underclassmen for their finals weekend roster. You don’t have to look far to see which ones made a clear impact. Freshman Kate Kalczynski Kate Kalczynski 6'1" | OH Mercy | 2027 State MI played about as well as any outside hitter in Battle Creek last weekend. She came through with 25 kills in the final with Forest Hills Northern while adding three digs. In the semifinal with Clarkston, Kalczynski had 14 kills and hit .345 with three digs and three assisted blocks. Fellow outside Maya Zarow Maya Zarow 5'10" | OH Mercy | 2026 State MI also made a big impact as a sophomore. She had 26 digs and 12 kills over the two matches. Another sophomore, Cree Hollier Cree Hollier 5'8" | MB Mercy | 2026 State MI was a gamechanger in the middle. Hollier had eight assisted blocks and five kills against Clarkston, then followed it up with 10 kills and two assists blocks in the final while hitting .368. Mercy also got a few kills last weekend from sophomore middle Ava Fitzgerald, showing the future of the Marlins offense is very strong.
Forest Hills Northern
The Huskies may have been a little senior-dominant in production behind their two senior All-State players, they still had some help from underclassmen as well. Sophomore setter Lexie Stotenbur Lexie Stotenbur 5'9" | S Forest Hills Northern | 2026 State MI played excellent this weekend. She had 41 assists, nine digs and four assisted blocks in the final with Mercy and tallied 37 assists and 14 digs in the semifinal win over Northville. She also had seven kills over the two matches. Sophomore Madalin Hersman was a big difference-maker at the service line. She had eight aces in the final to go with 11 digs and four kills. She had three aces, 11 digs and 11 kills in the semifinal win over Northville. Sophomore middle Briwana Zimmerman will be a go-to arm in the years to come. She had 12 kills over the two matches, hitting over .300 for the weekend. Freshman outside Riley Loehfelm Riley Loehfelm 6'1" | OH Forest Hills Northern | 2027 MI also has a bright future with the Huskies. She came through with 16 digs, seven kills and an ace throughout the weekend, while sophomore DS Sydney Shannon Sydney Shannon 5'6" | DS/L Forest Hills Northern | 2026 State MI had 14 digs over the two matches.
Clarkston
The Wolves have been an interesting mix of senior experience and talented freshmen this year. While graduating a very experience group of five seniors that made a great impact, Clarkston still has a good foundation behind freshman Marlie Smith Marlie Smith 5'10" | S Clarkston | 2027 State MI . Already a captain, Smith had nine kills, nine digs and five assists in the semifinal with Mercy. She’s one of the top freshman in Michigan, if not the country. Another freshman that saw steady action this fall for Clarkston was Josie Seets Josie Seets 6'0" | RS Clarkston | 2027 MI . The 6-footer had an ace in the semifinal, but will be counted on more come the 2024 season. Freshman Maya Kuebler got the chance to see some action in the semifinal and recorded an ace. She certainly will add to her family’s lineage with the Clarkston program in the years to come.
Northville
The Mustangs had a lot of experience returning in 2023 and will graduate five key players from their team. However, Northville still utilized some underclassmen in Battle Creek. Sophomore outside Skylar Marteen Skylar Marteen 5'9" | OH Northville | 2026 State MI hit .286 in the semifinal with Forest Hills Northern, finishing with five kills and two solo blocks. Sophomore DS Giselle Burlingame Giselle Burlingame 5'2" | DS/L Northville | 2026 State MI saw action in all four sets and is solid from the service line. She will take on a much bigger role next fall with the Mustangs graduating their two defensive standouts in the back row. Gabby Lavoie Gabby Lavoie 5'6" | DS/L Northville | 2027 MI , a freshman, also came in for some back row play for a set and recorded two digs.