Marian sweeps Dakota in volleyball quarterfinals
The future is now for Marian’s young volleyball team.
There isn’t a senior on the Mustangs squad this year but they played like group of seasoned veterans with their aggressive hitting in defeating Dakota 2514, 25-15, 25-13 Tuesday in a state Division 1 quarterfinal match at L’Anse Creuse North.
“On the back of our playoff T-shirts it says ‘Right now,’” said Ava Brizard, who led the Mustangs with 12 kills and 17 digs. “We mean it. Right here, right now. We don’t care that we don’t have any seniors. We want to win as many times as possible. If we can do it two years in a row, why not?”
That’s an attitude that comes from coach Mayassa Cook. When someone suggested earlier this season that Marian might be a year away from contending for a state championship, Cook quickly dismissed that notion.
“We’re talking about this year,” she said. “The expectations started last year when we lost in five in the regional final. We decided we aren’t going to do that
again. We didn’t know we weren’t going to have seniors. They don’t play like sophomores and juniors. That speaks to their commitment. They’re always in the gym. They’re gym rats and it’s paying off.
“They’re fearless and they trust each other. They’re confident in their ability and they complement each other so well that it bring out the best in each of them. We said after most of the out-of-system swings we took tonight, that was a college out-ofsystem swing. And they’ve got another year or two to
develop. That’s what’s beautiful.”
The Mustangs play Clarkston in a state semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
It wasn’t Dakota’s best performance of the season and Marian had a lot to do with that.
“Marian is on fire right now,” said Cougars coach Neil Rucinski. ““Obviously, they were the better team tonight. We were a little off today but I can’t be more proud of the girls making this run. It’s been a while since we’ve been in this position. The seniors (Ella Lochbiler, Claire Stevens, Cassidy Agemy, Mackenzie Davis, Anna Bialak and Grace Roeske) left a good legacy. They showed what it took to get here and we’ll look forward to being back here next year.”
Rucinski hit with his team during practice this week to help them get ready for the hard-hitting Mustangs, but all the preparation can’t entirely simulate the Marian attack.
“We were prepared,” Rucinski said. ‘I even jumped into practice and started swinging at them. Our passing was off tonight. They threw us out of system as much as we were. Kudos to them and their serving and serve-receive. I wish them the best of luck and our goal now is to see them again next year.”
Marian took command of the match early in the first game when the Mustangs broke a 3-3 tie with six straight points, featuring the serving of Brizard and two kills from Sophia Treder and one each by Ella Shomer and Janiah Jones. The domination continued through the next two games.
Brizard
Mustangs said that the didn’t stop thinking volleyball during the COVID-mandated layoff that began after the regional finals the second week of November.
“We did a lot of communication,” she said. “We were face-timing all the time. We were keeping in touch to keep that chemistry alive. That’s going to be the most important thing going into Battle Creek (for the final four).
“As for physical aspects, we worked hard at home, working out, catching the ball, hitting against the wall. We kept the mind set that we’re going to come back. That really helped us.”
Other leading hitters for Marian were Sarah Sylvester, Jones and Treder. Ava Sarafa and Shomer each served two aces. Sarafa and Sylvester had two blocks apiece. Sarafa finished with 36 assists and Lauren Heming had 14 digs.
Davis led Dakota with eight kills and Lochbiler, Agemy and Olivia Gardner had five kills apiece. Lochbiler had three blocks. Erin Madigan finished with 12 assists.
Clarkston advanced with a four-set victory over Grand Blanc.
Lowell plays Novi in the other semifinal.