MADISON HEIGHTS — Marian and Regina rule the Catholic League volleyball world.
Finally, Bloomfield Hills Marian whipped their archrivals, Farmington Hills Mercy, for the CHSL Central Division, their first since 2014.
But most important of all, the Mustangs convincingly put an end to three frustrating years of submission to the mighty Marlins, the defending state champs and the three-time defending CHSL champs.
At long last, Warren Regina won the AA-Intersectional volleyball title for the first time in its history, beating Macomb Lutheran North, who had denied the Saddlelites in last year’s finals.
Marian 19-25, 28-26, 12-25, 25-20, 15-8
“I kept telling them this is something you can do,” Marian coach Mayssa Cook said amidst the post-game jubilation. “I knew it would be a battle. I was waiting for our A game. I think you saw it in the fifth set.”
Marian set the stage for the deciding conclusion late in the fourth game, going on a 10-4 spurt to break away from a 16-15 deficit.
Junior outside hitter Ava Brizard ignited the comeback with a blistering kill, one of a team-high 17 she delivered, including three in the fifth game to launch Marian into a commanding 9-5 advantage.
“Attacking, defending, serving,” Cook said about Brizard. “She’s the best rotation player in all classes in the state.” She is a certain Miss Volleyball candidate for next season.
Juniors Sarah Sylvester and Sophie Treder and sophomores Ava Sarafa (40 assists), Reagan Sass and Ella Schomer (7 kills) defended the front line.
Another sophomore, Lauren Heming, converted 20 digs from her libero position.
In fact, there isn’t a senior on Marian’s 15-person roster.
Marian’s rejuvenation appeared to unnerve Mercy’s lineup, which features a half-dozen players who experienced all the hoopla and excitement of the 2019 state Division 1 championship campaign.
Coach Loretta Vogel said, “We had a few little errors that you can’t do against a good team like Marian.”
“This was a big test for us,” said senior Julie Bishop. “We’re a big target, and we have to learn to deal with it. This is the mental part of the game.”
Kaylin Collins and Ellie Tisko each had a dozen kills in a balanced offense. Nineteen more were provided by Charli Atiemo, Liz Kitchen and Leah LaFontaine.
The last time Marian beat Mercy was in the state semi-finals, 3-1, on Nov. 16, 2017.
The two squads could meet in this year’s state tournament in a regional showdown if both are successful in the district-level competition that begins Nov. 4.
Regina 28-26, 18-25, 25-18, 29-27
Regina-Lutheran North’s opening and closing matches were not for the faint of heart.
Regina needed just one more point to claim the first match. Lutheran North rallied seven points in a row behind four kills by junior Julie Valenti to tie the score at 24 and force the two-point rule. A service ace by Bella Pine and a kill by Reagan Stempin gave Regina the victory.
In the fourth match, two kills and a pair of blocks by sophomore Olivia Dobbs, two service aces by Jenna O’Brien and a kill by Sam Klausing figured in Regina building a seemingly safe 13-5 advantage, only to have the Mustangs forge another 24-24 tie.
Regina clinched the win on kills by Stempin and O’Brien sandwiched around a block by Klausing.
Coach Rebecca Ratkov, in her first year at Regina, credited the team’s senior leadership for “working hard overcoming challenges posed by the virus protocols, practicing outdoors, and injuries.”
She gave a special nod to O’Brien, a four-year varsity captain. “She led by example.” O’Brien had 19 kills, Dobbs nine, Stempin 43 assists and eight blocks.
Valenti and Kiley Comiskey combined for 18 kills for Lutheran North.
Lutheran North opens Division 2 state tournament play Nov. 2, Regina on Nov. 4.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
