Michigan high school volleyball has finished its season with 4 state championships in 2016. The Michigan High School Athletic Association held the 2016 finals at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan on November 19, 2017.
Michigan High School Athletic Association divided their school divisions into 4 different classes labeled Class A-D and are classified by student population with Class A being the largest and Class D being the smallest.
Novi high school defeated Rockford in a 3 to 1 victory to take the Class A title. Novi finished this past season ranked No. 1 in Michigan and 74th nationally with a 52-1 overall season. Rockford finished their season with an overall record of 48-9 with a ranking of No.4 in Michigan and 154th nationally.
Rockford’s middles,Oliva Radeacher and Cassandra Smigel, combined over 23 kills and 9 blocks and outside hitter, Sara Majerle, added 11 kills which wasn’t enough to overcome Novi in the finals.
Junior, Abryanna Cannon, totaled 20 kills and setter, Erin O’Leary, gained 33 assists during the final match thanks to libero, Claire Pinkerton, with 21 digs.
North Branch swept Lakewood taking the Class B title with a finishing overall record of 58-9 with the No. 6 ranking in Michigan. North Branch and Lakewood are no strangers to playing in the finals, North Branch took the title back in 2014 against Lakewood and Lakewood won the title back in 2012 against North Branch.
North Branch received their 2nd state title in 3 years with a total of 40 kills with Allyson Severance leading the team with 12 kills.
Lakewood’s Breanna Wickerink had 11 kills out of the total 31 the team produced just short of North Branch. Lakewood finished with an overall 50-6 record leaving them ranked No. 13 in Michigan.
Bronson completed the season with the Class C championship title against Brown City with an overall record of 17-6 finishing ranked No. 24 in Michigan. Brown City lost in the finals 1 game to 3 with an overall record of 17-1 and ranked No. 37 in the state.
Allison Sikorski led Bronson with 13 kills and teammate, Keona Salesman, added 12 kills to the final match. With the winning kill, Jill Pyles, contributed 12 kills as well.
Brown City lost in the semifinals last year, which makes 2016 the second trip to Battle Creek but first finals appearance.
No. 27 Plymouth Christian Academy defeated No. 45 Auburn Hills Oakland Christian taking the Class D title since 2004. Oakland Christian came up short with an overall record of 12-2 against Plymouth Christian’s 32-3 overall record.
Plymouth Christian’s sisters Grace and Gabriella Kellogg helped the Eagles win their first Class D championship against their rival. Grace led her team with 21 kills and 11 digs, while Gabriella, added 13 kills and 3 digs.
Senior Alexandra Gudobba led Oakland Christian with 14 kills and 16 digs while Marisa Mingle totaled 7 kills and 11 digs. Setter Samantha Morse tallied 28 assists, 5 aces, 6 digs, and 3 kills.
Leave a Reply