Five potential Miss Volleyball finalists for 2019
The Miss Volleyball honor is the highest individual award a prep volleyball player can earn in the state of Michigan. The list of winners is an impressive display of what the state of Michigan has produced in volleyball talent over…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Miss Volleyball honor is the highest individual award a prep volleyball player can earn in the state of Michigan. The list of winners is an impressive display of what the state of Michigan has produced in volleyball talent over the years.
Winning Miss Volleyball is a recognition of one’s prep career only, but requires an elite resume just to be included among the 10 finalists.
As the 2019 prep season approaches, here is a look at five players we expect to see among the top contenders for the award this year.
Jess MruzikJess Mruzik, Farmington Hills Mercy OH: Mruzik has made a name for herself on a national level and is certain to be a standard bearer for the state of Michigan for years to come. Mruzik has been our top-ranked player in the Class of 2020 for some time and she has led the Marlins to back-to-back appearances in Battle Creek. Mercy is one of the pre-season favorites in Division 1 this year and Mruzik could be the pre-season favorite to collect Miss Volleyball. She would be the second Marlin to earn the honor.
Celia CullenCelia Cullen, Brighton S: Like Mruzik, Cullen has been able to garner national attention and experience over the last year and that has really taken her game to another level. At 6’0”, she is a big setter that can also move to the outside when called upon. While the Bulldogs haven’t had the team success they have hoped for, that hasn’t been due to a lack of effort from Cullen. Brighton could be a dangerous team in 2019 and Cullen certainly should be considered for the Miss Volleyball honor.
Jordyn GatesJordyn Gates, Grand Rapids Christian S: Gates has been an improving talent in the state picture for years and she really showcased all her skills in 2018 as she led the Eagles to the Division 2 state championship. Surrounded by a lot of hitting options, Gates has developed great chemistry with all of them and runs the GRC offense flawlessly. The Eagles will definitely be a top contender in Division 2 again this year and Gates can’t be left off the Miss Volleyball finalists list.
Keona SalesmanKeona Salesman, Bronson OH: Bronson has won four consecutive state championships and Salesman has played a big role in the last three. This past year she racked up 19 kills in the D3 final and she also had 19 in the 2017 Class C championship. As a freshman in 2016, Salesman had 12 kills in the Class C championship. You won’t find a single player in the state with a more impressive resume than her and that goes a long way to winning Miss Volleyball. Salesman has really improved her all-around game as well, being as solid in the back row as she is in the front. Salesman could be Bronson’s best chance yet to claim Miss Volleyball.
Elizabeth NorrisElizabeth Norris, Corunna OH: The Norris name has won this honor before with Meredith Norris taking the 2016 honor. This past fall, Elizabeth led the state in kills with 879 while leading the Cavaliers to the Division 2 state semifinals. Norris has taken on a bigger role after each of her three seasons, not being afraid of the spotlight. Her 879 kills last year ranked 12th in MHSAA history and she’s on pace to finish top-10 all-time for kills in a MHSAA career. Those numbers, along with Corunna’s team success, is too hard to ignore.