Rapid testing off to smooth start
Teams prep for final week
The final week of the volleyball postseason is tense enough.
For the six remaining teams in Oakland County, this week and next will be a lot like walking on eggshells.
While coaches and players are grateful for an opportunity to complete the season, the anxiousness of a rapid testing program is another challenge to contend with.
On Monday, the 32 remaining volleyball teams around the state were able to return to practice while taking part in a pilot testing program approved by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Teams completed their first round of tests on Sunday or Monday before taking the court and will be tested three times a week for the next two weeks as they complete the season.
“The process has gone really smoothly so far,” Novi coach Kacy Byron said. “It’s so much easier than what I thought it was going to be. We had stations set up and all the sheets and equipment ready to go ahead of time to make things run as smoothly as possible. The tests are very quick and easy to administer, so it hasn’t been as much of a challenge as I expected.”
Administering the tests has been a group effort for the schools, but a required process in order to compete. The tests are described as “non-invasive” and give results within 15 minutes of taking place.
“I was very nervous to do our testing and not doing something the right way, so I had a couple of doctors around to make sure everything was being done correctly. After going through it the first time, it is far simpler than I thought (it would be),” Notre Dame Prep coach Betty Wroubel said. “I don’t mind doing it. It adds a level of assurance for me as well. It was so easy. Our volleyball team was done within 20 minutes in our first time running through it. The inputting of the information is probably the most challenging part. That took the most amount of time, but the testing itself was much faster than I
“I am very excited about parents and some spectators being allowed at the matches. We have gotten this far and I think it’s important to have that support system nearby. These are high-pressure matches and it’s nice for the girls to be able to look in the stands and see their family there. We are really excited to finish and excited that this is actually happening.”
— Novi coach Kacy Byron
expected.”
Should one of the tests produce a positive result, that athlete or team member needs to report to their family physician and get a negative COVID-19 result from a lab test in order to return to practice and competition.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Food and Drug Administration, have warned that rapid antigen tests have a higher rate of producing a “false positive.”
“My biggest concern is a false positive. It would be understandable for a player not to be able to play if they were actually COVID-positive. It would be devastating for a player to have to miss a game over a false positive,” Royal Oak Shrine coach Annette DeMartino said. “The testing process itself has not been difficult, there is just the fear of those false positives.”
When it comes to the actual performance on the court, volleyball teams haven’t competed since regional finals were held Nov. 12. Quarterfinal matchups are scheduled for Jan. 12, exactly two months later.
“I thought we were peaking when things got stopped,” said Wroubel, whose Irish will face Warren Regina in a Division 2 regional on Tuesday. “Our five-set victories over Country Day and North Branch were really great matches and raised the level of our team. I was really excited about where we were back then, but that’s all gone now. There isn’t an aspect of our team that isn’t off right now. But, everyone is in the same boat. We get a chance to finish and a chance for closure and we are all grateful for that.”
In the case of Royal Oak Shrine, the Knights are making their first quarterfinal appearance since 2007. They will meet up with Saginaw Valley Lutheran in a Division 3 matchup on Tuesday. Valley Lutheran reached the state semifinals a year ago, but game planning for the Chargers will be difficult as Shrine just tries to get back into its own flow.
“Practices have looked as I expected them to. Certainly the layoff has impacted things, but the girls have shown a lot of determination and desire to be as strong as they can be Tuesday,” DeMartino said. “Every team is in the same situation as us. The girls are thankful for a fair shot at the title and to get some closure on their incredible season.”
For a number of Oakland County players, club volleyball season would be underway in normal circumstances. As the prep season has dragged on, it has provided some balancing challenges for these players.
“A good deal of these kids would already be in the process of starting their club volleyball season and they have made a commitment to their club team and a commitment to their high school team. They feel torn between those commitments and that is challenging for them,” Wroubel said. “They lost most of their club season last year and the recruiting exposure that it gives them. It has created a state of panic in some ways for some of the kids. I think they are ready to move on. They want to do well and want to win a state title for their team, but they also want to honor their club commitments.”
The MHSAA announced on Wednesday that each volleyball team would be permitted 50 spectators for the remaining games, providing a small emotional boost to the teams.
“I am very excited about parents and some spectators being allowed at the matches,” Byron said. “We have gotten this far and I think it’s important to have that support system nearby. These are highpressure matches and it’s nice for the girls to be able to look in the stands and see their family there. We are really excited to finish and excited that this is actually happening.”
Novi is one of three county teams remaining in Division 1.
Tuesday’s schedule for Oakland County teams is listed below. The state semifinals and finals will be held Jan. 14-16 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
Division 1
Birmingham Marian vs. Macomb Dakota, 7:30 p.m. at L’Anse Creuse North High School
Grand Blanc vs . Clarkston, 7 p.m. at Lapeer High School
Ann Arbor Skyline vs. Novi, 7 p.m. at Lincoln Art and Recreation in Ypsilanti
Division 2
Warren Regina vs. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 5 p. m. at L’Anse Creuse North High School
Division 3
Royal Oak Shrine vs. Saginaw Valley Lutheran, 5 p.m. at Fenton High School
Division 4
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian vs. Ubly, 6 p.m. at Marlette High School