FARMINGTON HILLS – A pair of former Catholic High School League athletes and a couple of current players were recognized during the holiday season for their God-given remarkable achievements on the basketball and volleyball courts.
Jess Mruzik, a 2019 alumna of Farmington Hills Mercy, where she led the Marlins to a 59–1 record, won the Division 1 state title and was named the national Gatorade Player of the Year, wound up a spectacular collegiate career by leading Penn State to the 2024 national championship on Dec. 22 against Louisville.
Mruzik, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, played three years (2020-21-22) at Michigan, where she was named to the all-freshmen team and All-Big Ten the next two seasons.
She transferred to Penn State for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In her fifth season of eligibility, granted to college athletes because of the pandemic, Mruzik captained Penn State to finish the season 35-2, taking a share of the Big Ten regular-season title and winning the Nittany Lions’ eighth NCAA title and first since 2014.
In the national title game, she tied her season high with 29 kills on .315 hitting, made 14 digs, and tied her career high with five blocks. She was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
Mruzik, 22, led the U.S. Youth National Team to gold at the 2019 FIVB U18 World Championship in Switzerland and was named tournament MVP. She won silver and led the United States in scoring at the 2024 Pan American Cup Final in Mexico.
“Everyone at Mercy is thrilled about her accomplishments,” said her high school coach Loretta Vogel. What makes Mruzik so great, Vogel said, “is that she constantly continues to get better. There are some athletes who get to a certain point and that’s where they’re at. She gets stronger, she jumps higher. Everything she’s doing and executing in the game is just another level.
“The thing I always watch whether it’s volleyball or any sport is that you have to play big in big games,” Vogel added. “I think Jesse demonstrated that.”
Vogel, who’s coached at Mercy for 14 years, added: “I hope to see her play in the Olympics. I’m hoping that one player I coached would make it to the Olympics.”
That hope is at least four years away. In the meantime, Jess, who earned a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Michigan and a Master’s in Business Administration from Penn State, is now pursuing a graduate certificate in Business Analytics at Penn State.
Even that may take a bit longer, the day after her NCAA career ended, Mruzik signed to play for Houston in the inaugural season of LOVB Pro, an American women’s professional indoor volleyball league, beginning this month.
In addition to Houston, other teams are located in Atlanta, Austin, Madison, Omaha and Salt Lake City. The 2025 season will feature four matches per week, an in-season tournament in February with the finals held in April. Ten matches will be broadcast on ESPN networks and an additional 18 streamed on ESPN+.
“I’m so honored to be a part of LOVB,” Mruzik said. “The amount that this league has done for the sport of volleyball and women’s sports is truly amazing. I can’t wait to learn from and be surrounded by the best of the best every single day!”
Campbell Flynn off to Nebraska!
Just as Mruzik is exiting the Big Ten, another Mercy alum is entering it: senior Campbell Flynn to Nebraska.
She just returned from Orlando, where she played on New Year’s Day in the Under Armor Next All-America Volleyball Match. Next week she will be enrolling in the University of Nebraska after successfully cramming this past semester the required courses for her high school graduation.
Flynn’s career at Mercy pretty much reflects Mruzik’s: both led their squads to state and CHSL championships; both were Miss Volleyball honorees their senior years; both were Michigan Gatorade Players of the Year.
Both were coached by Loretta Vogel. “We’ve been very fortunate to have some great players at Mercy,” she said.
Miller and McKenney: record busters!
On Dec. 23, Charlotte Miller, senior captain of the Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard girls’ basketball team, set a school-record 1,001 career points during a 69-39 triumph over Mercy. She also holds the records for three-pointers made (153), steals (197), and assists (340).
Coach Tim Cain said, “Everything she has accomplished is absolutely earned. The definition of a complete player.”
Athletic Director Mickey Redmond said Miller’s “relentless work ethic, passion, and leadership have inspired your teammates, coaches, and the entire FGR community.”
Miller has committed to Ferris State University.
The Fighting Irish -- 8-1 overall, 4-0 atop the Central Division – are the defending CHSL Cardinal Division champion and Operation Friendship victor and finalist last spring for the state Division 2 title.
Five days later, senior Trey McKenney set a new career record for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in a game against Toledo Whitmer.
McKenney – at a pace of 20 points a game over 84 contests -- broke the 1,688-points threshold established in 2007 by Kalin Lucas, who was in the stands to witness his record fall.
“This is a phenomenal accomplishment,” Coach Todd Covert said. “He continues to set a standard that’s unheard of around here. He’s a special young man. His work ethic is something I’ve never seen in business or athletics.”
During the 2023-2024 season, McKenney led St. Mary's to a 27-1 record and the Division 1 state championship while averaging 22.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
“I have to win,” McKenney, who is committed to Michigan, has said. “I’m trying to achieve my goal of making it to the NBA, but the biggest thing for me is that I want to win at the college level. I cannot accept losing. That's why I will put in all the extra effort and time to be the best and never lose.”
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected]
