North Branch, West Catholic Roll In D2 Semifinals

It's not quite the David vs. Goliath matchup that it might sound like, but Grand Rapids West Catholic will attempt to win its first state title on Saturday when it takes on the defending Division 2 champions, North Branch.   The Falcons bested a Milan team making its first semifinal appearance on Thursday, while the top-ranked Broncos dispatched second-ranked Grand Rapids Christian. Both teams won in three sets in dominant fashion.   You can see a photo gallery from <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/11/north-branch-vs-gr-christian-photo-gallery/">North Branch vs. GR Christian</a> and <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/11/west-catholic-vs-milan-photo-gallery/">West Catholic vs. Milan</a>.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Branch def. GR Christian 25-16, 25-15, 25-17</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/D2-Semifinal-2-10.jpg?w=993" alt="" class="wp-image-479587" style="width:258px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='222361' first='Clara' last='Gyomory']</figcaption></figure>   Jim Fish thinks he may have the best team in the state, regardless of division, and he might be right.   The Broncos looked unstoppable in Thursday's sweep of the second-ranked Eagles to improve to 55-4-1 on the season.   North Branch will be making its third consecutive D2 finals appearance on Saturday and looking to repeat as state champions for the first time in program history.   “I've said it all year long that if we win the state title, this is my best team ever,” Fish said of his 2023 Broncos. “We are dominant. We took the second-best team in the state and just took it to them. We've played such a challenging schedule. I think that's the 35th (different) ranked team we have beaten this year. Somebody might beat us a game, maybe two, but nobody can beat us three-out-of-five. I believe that. I believe we are the best team in the state.”   That dominance showed at the end of each set. In the first, North Branch finished on a 9-2 run. In the second, they did the same, scoring nine of the last 11. The third set was tied 15-15 before the Broncos finished the match on a 10-2 rally.   Grand Rapids Christian played tough, but just couldn't stop the deep North Branch offense. The Broncos hit .286 as a team, including .344 over the first two sets. [player_tooltip player_id='110302' first='Adrienne' last='Greschaw'] had 32 assists, finding the hot hand all night.   [player_tooltip player_id='222361' first='Clara' last='Gyomory'] led the offense with 12 kills while hitting .611 in the match.   “Clara is a sweetheart and she feels no pressure whatsoever,” Fish said of Gyomory. “You tell her to hit one shot, then she comes back and hits one down the line, then she tips one, you can't defend her. She's hitting over .400 this year. That is just an amazing statistic. She's dominant.”   [player_tooltip player_id='226888' first='Aubree' last='Deshetsky'] had 11 kills and 11 digs while [player_tooltip player_id='110291' first='Alana' last='Deshetsky'] had 10 kills with 12 digs. [player_tooltip player_id='110301' first='Hailey' last='Green'] added 12 digs while Gyomory and [player_tooltip player_id='110291' first='Alana' last='Deshetsky'] each recorded three aces.   Grand Rapids Christian freshman [player_tooltip player_id='442982' first='Grace' last='Goodyke'] had a solid outing, putting down 16 kills while hitting .310 in a big stage for the first-year varsity player.   [player_tooltip player_id='110324' first='Grace' last='Spoelma'] had 21 assists, 13 digs and four kills for the Eagles while [player_tooltip player_id='156322' first='Madison' last='Peal'] added 12 digs and Kayden Warren had six kills.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">GR West Catholic def. Milan 25-16, 25-13, 25-19</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/D2-Semifinal-1-8.jpg?w=851" alt="" class="wp-image-479553" style="width:252px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mia Henne</figcaption></figure>   The Falcons punched their ticket to their first MHSAA state final on Thursday with an impressive performance against Milan.   West Catholic's offensive balance gave the Big Reds fits, as the Falcons had five different players record six kills or more. Collectively, that allowed West Catholic to hit .333 as a team.   “It's nice to be able to have a bench that you can look down when someone's struggling and say, ‘hey, we need you to go in and fill in for somebody else.' Our motto has been to play with each other, for each other all season. I think that has been really driven home for the girls,” West Catholic coach Megan Eversman said. “I know that at any given point they can go in for somebody and make a difference. They all really trust each other.”   Brooke Tietz led the offensive effort for West Catholic with 10 kills, but Mia Henne, Emma Tuttle, Lana Cowen and Ella Bernreuter each added six.   The offense was able to flow so smoothly thanks to the pair of West Catholic setters. Emma Arsulowicz and Alivia Mott combined for 26 assists while also adding five aces between them. Tietz also had three aces, while [player_tooltip player_id='446694' first='Amelia' last='Gagnon'] had 11 digs to lead the defense.   Milan made its own history on Thursday as the Big Reds were playing in the state semifinal for the first time. Milan just couldn't dial up an answer to match the West Catholic offensive depth.   Malea Wourman put down 12 kills to lead Milan in the match while Emma Budd and Aubree Higgins each had four. Madison Slack had 18 assists and six digs, while Lauryn Parris added 12 digs for the Big Reds.

It's not quite the David vs. Goliath matchup that it might sound like, but Grand Rapids West Catholic will attempt to win its first state title on Saturday when it takes on the defending Division 2 champions, North Branch.