Mercy dominates its way to Beast of the East championship
In a field that featured many of the best the state of Michigan has to offer, Farmington Hills Mercy showed that it may just be a cut above the rest as it rolled to the championship in the Beast of…
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Continue ReadingIn a field that featured many of the best the state of Michigan has to offer, Farmington Hills Mercy showed that it may just be a cut above the rest as it rolled to the championship in the Beast of the East Tournament at Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy.
Playing a total of seven matches, the Marlins didn’t drop a set on Saturday, only allowing two opponents to score at least 20 points on them in a single game.
“We were able to work in a lot of players throughout the day and I think that helped keep us fresh,” Mercy coach Loretta Vogel said. “Everyone was really playing well and it kept up our enthusiasm during a long day of playing some great teams.”
Mercy came in to today second in our latest Division 1 rankings, but are sure to jump back up to No. 1. Of the 16 teams that reached the gold bracket on Saturday, nine were ranked in our top 10 of their respective divisions and six are in the top 5.
The Marlins locked up the title with a 25-11, 25-21 win over No. 6 Lake Orion in the final. The first set was all Mercy as the Dragons struggled to get in system and Marlins sophomore setter Julia Bishop was feeding to all her hitters.
“Julia is just making great selections,” Vogel said of Bishop. “She is always making great choices and our passers did a great job of getting her the ball smoothly so she could do her thing.”
Junior outside Jess Mruzik (Michigan) had six kills in the opening set whole sophomore middle Charli Atiemo had five kills.
Lake Orion tried to mix things up in the second set, bringing junior Sydney Smith into the back row. Smith has been dealing with an ankle injury that has kept her from action, but was recently cleared. Still, coach Tony Scavarda is being cautious with her and didn’t want her jumping on Saturday. Smith’s play helped the Dragons show more consistency with their passing. That led to more kills from Paige Briggs (Western Kentucky) on the outside and Kendall Robertson in the middle.
Despite the improvement in its passing, the Dragons couldn’t keep pace with Mercy’s attack. Mruzik had another four kills in the second set while Atiemo had a pair and Kaylin Collins had three.
The Marlins started their day with three wins in pool play. Mercy defeated Utica Eisenhower (25-13, 25-19), Sterling Heights Stevenson (25-8, 25-17) and Salem (25-13, 25-16).
Bracket play opened with a 25-16, 25-12 win over Macomb Dakota. The Marlins then bested No. 9 Stoney Creek in the quarterfinal 25-20, 25-14. In the semifinal, Mercy met Grand Rapids Christian, our top-ranked team in Division 2, and picked up a 25-19, 25-15 win.
Lake Orion earned some nice wins in bracket play as well. The Dragons started with a 25-12, 25-16 win over Troy. Lake Orion then bested No. 5 Marian by scores of 25-23, 25-19. In the semifinals, the Dragons defeated top-ranked Mattawan, 25-19, 27-25.
Beast of the East Tournament Results
Pool Play
Pool A: Mattawan 3-0, Macomb Dakota 2-1, Bloomfield Hills 1-2, Grosse Pointe North 0-3
Pool B: Mercy 3-0, Sterling Heights Stevenson 2-1, Utica Eisenhower 1-2, Salem 0-3
Pool C: Grand Rapids Christian 3-0, Troy 2-1, Flint Powers Catholic 1-2, Plymouth Christian 0-3
Pool D: Lake Orion 3-0, Flushing 2-1, Anchor Bay 1-2, Kalamazoo Central 0-3
Pool E: Marian 3-0, Fenton 2-1, Detroit Country Day 1-2, Canton 0-3
Pool F: Portage Central 3-0, Northville 2-1, Seaholm 1-2, L’Anse Creuse North 0-3
Pool G: Stoney Creek 3-0, South Lyon 2-1, Lakeland 1-2, Romeo 0-3
Pool H: Clarkston 3-0, North Branch 2-1, South Christian 1-2, Charyl Stockwell 0-3
Gold Bracket First Round
Mattawan def. Sterling Heights Stevenson 25-12, 25-20
Clarkston def. South Lyon
Marian def. Northville 25-22, 14-25, 15-12
Lake Orion def. Troy 25-12, 25-16
Grand Rapids Christian def. Flushing 25-23, 25-16
Portage Central def. Fenton 25-12, 25-17
Stoney Creek def. North Branch 26-24, 25-22
Mercy def. Macomb Dakota 25-16, 25-12
Gold Bracket Quarterfinals
Mattawan def. Clarkston 25-16, 25-23
Lake Orion def. Marian 25-23, 25-19
Grand Rapids Christian def. Portage Central 25-16, 25-15
Mercy def. Stoney Creek 25-20, 25-14
Gold Bracket Semifinals
Lake Orion def. Mattawan 25-19, 27-25
Mercy def. Grand Rapids Christian 25-19, 25-15
Gold Bracket Final
Mercy def. Lake Orion 25-11, 25-21