2020 Prep Dig Michigan D3 Player & Coach of the Year

<p>Division 3 saw the same four teams reach the state semifinals that did in 2019.</p> <p>Many of the faces and names that made an impact last season did so again in 2020.</p> <p>Only one was able to maintain the same level of high play she had shown throughout her prep career.</p> <h4><strong>D3 Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="50288" first="Mikayla" last="Haut"], Sr. OH SMCC</strong></h4> <p><img class="size-medium wp-image-128014 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/01/Mikayla-Haut-2-217x300.jpg" alt="" width="217" height="300" />Haut has been a consistent force for SMCC over her four years of play for the Kestrels. She’s the only player in the state to have been named First Team All-State in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.</p> <p>The Fairfield commit can do it all, truly displaying all it takes to be a six-rotation outside hitter.</p> <p>This season, Haut shared the spotlight with a deep roster of hitting talent at SMCC, but she remained the driving force behind winning a second consecutive state championship.</p> <p>In the 2020 season, Haut finished with 383 kills, 215 digs, 61 aces and 46 blocks.</p> <p>Haut moves as smoothly as anyone on the floor. She always puts herself in the right position to make a tough dig look easy, while being able to finish at a high rate from the back row as well.</p> <p>SMCC has truly lost one of their all-time greats with Haut graduating in a few months.</p> <p><strong>Other Considerations</strong></p> <p><strong>Callie Bauer, Sr. OH Hudson: </strong>Bauer was only able to play 85 sets this season, but still put down an impressive 563 kills while hitting .434. She also had 364 digs and 83 aces. For her career, Bauer finished with 2,399 kills.</p> <p><strong>Kayla Onken, Sr. S Schoolcraft: </strong>Onken led Schoolcraft to another D3 finals appearance in 2020 and did it by spreading the ball around and making sure her hitters could succeed. She had 1,063 assists on the year, but more impressive is that her top two hitters both hit over .480 on the season.</p> <p><strong>Molly Gerow, Sr. OH Beaverton: </strong>Gerow guided Beaverton back to Battle Creek for the second consecutive season. She put up solid numbers in 2020, finishing with 461 kills, 272 digs, 47 aces and 31 blocks.</p> <h4><strong>D3 Coach of the Year: Karen O’Brien, SMCC</strong></h4> <p><img class="size-medium wp-image-126388 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/01/SMCC-Team-2-300x201.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="201" />It wasn’t necessarily surprising that SMCC repeated as Division 3 state champions, but the dominant play the Kestrels showed throughout the season deserves its recognition.</p> <p>SMCC challenged itself against some of the best in the state in any division and held its own, suffering just losses to Saline and Skyline, while beating the likes of Lakewood, Birch Run and Skyline.  </p> <p>O’Brien had a great approach to the challenges presented by the two-month stoppage in play. Her reflections on her own battle with cancer showed in the calm and perspective her players had during the final week of play.</p> <p><strong>Other Considerations: </strong>Erin Onken, Schoolcraft; Jon Frank, Valley Lutheran; Steve Evans, Beaverton; Jean LaClair, Bronson.</p>