D3 Semifinals Recap: Kingsley, Kalamazoo Christian Advance

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Division 3 semifinals featured four ranked teams all vying for a spot in Saturday's final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The opener was a five-set thriller between Kingsley and defending champ, SMCC, while Kalamazoo Christian blitzed past Valley Lutheran in the nightcap.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a recap of the two contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kingsley def. SMCC 17-25, 25-19, 25-23, 8-25, 17-15</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Stags (56-4-1) added another ranked team to their list of the defeated this postseason. This time it may have been the biggest yet in defending D3 champion, No. 5 SMCC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Already defeating top-ranked Roscommon, No. 8 TC St. Francis, and No. 10 Beal City this postseason run, Kingsley had to dig deep to top the Kestrels in five sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“This is the hardest working team I've ever coached,” Kingsley coach Dave Hall said. “It's not been an easy road for sure. I think we've had a stretch of either five or six straight matches against ranked teams, and everybody we're playing is bigger than us. We don't look like maybe the team to beat when we walk in the gym. But, man, the heart of these girls is unbelievable.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kingsley took a 2-sets-to-1 advantage in the third, but the Kestrels answered with a dominant fourth set, winning 25-8 and seemingly taking all the momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yet, the Kestrels managed to find enough to take the final set. A lot of that was due to the breakout set from junior middle <strong>Delaney Case</strong>. She had three big kills in the set, including the one that broke a 15-15 tie after the Stags fended off a match point. Case then ended the contest with a block on the next point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“She has a remarkable way of seeming to finish some of our matches with the block or something right at the end, Hall said. “Big time, big-game-win time, she stepped up and really had big plays.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Case finished with eight kills and three solo blocks for the Stags, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='833201' first='Jenna' last='Middleton'] </strong>had 33 kills and 21 digs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='803492' first='Sarah' last='Wooer'] </strong>put up 59 assists, while <strong>Aizlyn McKinley </strong>had 17 kills and 30 digs, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='794601' first='Isabelle' last='Seitz'] </strong>added 23 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SMCC was led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226889' first='Madeline' last='Dettling']</strong>, who had 25 kills and 28 digs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='800645' first='Olivia' last='Beaudrie'] </strong>added 20 kills with 36 digs and three aces, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='456251' first='Alexa' last='Turner'] </strong>added 38 assists and 14 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kalamazoo Christian def. Valley Lutheran 25-23, 25-16, 25-20</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The No. 6 Comets (30-11-3) advanced to their fourth consecutive state semifinal this week and now will appear in their third state final in four years following a sweep of No. 9 Valley Lutheran (51-11-3).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers were in good position in the opening set, leading 20-17, but the Comets were able to work kills from <strong>Eliana VanDusen</strong> to regain the lead. An ace from <strong>Reagan Zuiderveen </strong>closed out the set and put the wheels in motion for what was to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kalamazoo Christian led most of the way from there, keeping Valley Lutheran out-of-system with solid serving that produced seven aces in the match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“That was our goal,” Kalamazoo Christian coach Carlie Southland said of keeping the Chargers out of sync on offense. “We did that by running fast plays and mixing up our sets, and serving well.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zuiderveen had 35 assists and seven digs to lead the Comets in the win. VanDusen finished with 19 kills and hit .343, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='805267' first='Eliana' last='Keller'] </strong>had 11 kills, and <strong>Ellory Zuiderveen </strong>had 15 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valley Lutheran was led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='807118' first='Reagan' last='Webb']</strong> with 10 kills and eight digs. <strong>Braelin Rodammer </strong>added eight kills, while <strong>Kate Betl </strong>had 21 assists and two aces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Comets will be seeking their second title in three years when they cross paths with Kingsley in the final on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I don't think anyone expected us to go this far. So, what's one more game,” Southland said. “I think with some good strategy, I think we can do it. I think half of it is mental toughness, and the other half is getting the girls to believe that they can do it, too.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->