FARMINGTON HILLS — “It took me a minute,” says Loretta Vogel.

She can still recall the moment two months ago at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.

In volleyball, a “kill” is defined as a ball that cannot be returned by the defensive team, therefore resulting in an immediate point for the offensive team.

The nearly 3,000 spectators — including her Mercy volleyball teammates and their opponents from Lowell High — all were anticipating Jessica Mruzik would wind up and deliver one of her patented blistering unreturnable shots for the point that would give Mercy the 2019 Michigan high school Division 1 state championship.

Only Mruzik, the 2019 Miss Volleyball and recently announced Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year, who has played on state, national and international courts, had another idea in mind.

It was a kill, by definition, but just enough of a nudge to get the ball up and over the other side of the net to hit the floor, unreturnable by the Lowell defense that had retreated bracing for a blast.

The silence was deafening.

“What happened?” Vogel wondered. “It took me a minute. I wanted to make sure. Then, it hit me: We won!”

Pandemonium. The Mercy squad rushed the court and collapsed in a pile.

Vogel has coached for 43 years. “I’ve often envisioned what it would be like to win the final game,” she said. “How would I react?”

She’s had more than her share of final game victories: numerous club-level and state district and regional wins, and five Catholic League championships. But not a state final, though she’s been there twice: in the 1979 Class C final coaching Napoleon and 2010 at Mercy.

“I saw the girls celebrating, and I thought, ‘I’m going out there on the pile, too,’” Vogel said.

Vogel was born in the Irish Hills area. She graduated from Adrian College, where she played basketball, and embarked on a teaching and coaching career (basketball, volleyball and softball) at Manchester High School.

Two years later, she moved on to Napoleon, southeast of Jackson, where she concentrated only on volleyball. 

“It’s a lot of fun. I fell in love with it,” she said. 

In the 1979 final, Napoleon lost to Berrien Springs in two sets. Then followed two years at Detroit Dominican, two years at Livonia Ladywood, 14 years at Fraser, and brief stints at Macomb Community College and Wayne State University.

Along the way, she married and has three sons: Andrew, who has been her assistant for many years, Steven, and Spencer Thompson. They all are Warren De La Salle alumni.

“Don’t forget to mention my grandkids, Max, Allie and Meredith,” Vogel said. “They’re the love of my life.”

Vogel has been at Mercy for 11 years. Her first year, she guided the Marlins to the state Division 1 finals, losing to Bloomfield Hills Marian in three sets. Mercy reached the final four in 2017 (losing to Marian in four sets) and in 2018 (losing to Novi in a bitterly contested five sets).

Coaching volleyball is a near year-round avocation for Loretta. She has owned and coached at several clubs in Metro Detroit, and currently is working with 14- to 17-year-olds at the High Performance Academy in Waterford.

She has had a hand in the development of five Miss Volleyball recipients, including a pair from Mercy: Maddy Doyle in 2011 and Mruzik. The others are Angie McGinnis of Fraser in 2004, Stephanie Booms of Marysville in 2005, and Carli Snyder of Macomb Dakota in 2013.

“The game is ever-changing,” Vogel said. “It’s faster, and you must be willing to have an open mind in learning new techniques in basic skills like serving, blocking, your footwork and your shot-making if you want to have success.”

Although the varsity is her primary focus at Mercy, Loretta watches the development of the Marlins’ freshmen and junior varsity squads.

“You can call it ‘Loretta’s Book,’” she laughs, “but coaches and players have to be doing things the same way. Over the years we have learned what works and what doesn’t and how to teach it.”

She knows what works for her own welfare, too. Her workout regimen involves running or skipping or speedwalking around her neighborhood. And she has a standing appointment with her chiropractor. “At my age (68), I need one.”

She wants to be in shape for the next championship pile celebration.

Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].