BATTLE CREEK — Flat Rock led a charmed life in the Division 2 state volleyball tournament.
The Rams, who ended the regular season ranked No. 10 in the state, didn’t run into another ranked team in its first six matches.
That was a good thing, helping Flat Rock make school history with its deepest run in the tournament.
But it was a mixed blessing.
The Rams never got a serious challenge before meeting No. 2 Detroit Country Day in the championship game. They wound up getting swept by the Yellowjackets 25-18, 25-19, 25-12 on Saturday, Nov. 22.
“Their offense was a little quick for us,” Flat Rock coach Morgan Delhey said. “I would have liked to see a little more competition before this.”
It was the second straight state title for Country Day while Flat Rock was making its first appearance in the final.
Delhey was disappointed with the loss, but couldn’t find fault with a 39-9 season that saw her team earn a share of the Huron League title for the first time in school history.
“Just being here is a big step for our program,” she said. “Experience is a big part of being in this setting.”
Flat Rock didn’t show any signs of nerves early, getting a pair of kills from Sarah Giroux to jump out to a 6-2 lead.
A service error gave the ball back to Country Day and Payton Woodruff stepped to the service line.
She stayed there a long time.
The sophomore reeled off nine straight points, including four aces.
By the time another Giroux kill ended the run, Flat Rock was down 12-6.
That was the first of three straight kills by Giroux that got her team back into the set.
But Country Day scored the next four points and Flat Rock never got closer than five the rest of the way.
Flat Rock put up its best fight in the second set, but its last lead was at 8-7.
Country Day took command in the final set, bolting out to a 6-1 lead and going up by as many as 13 points.
“It didn’t go the way we wanted, but I thought the girls fought their hardest,” Delhey said.
Zoe Ryan recorded 21 assists and Giroux was once again the leader for the Rams with 15 kills and 9 digs.
She is one of five starters who will be back in 2026.
“We learned to work together as a team under pressure,” she said when asked what the Rams could learn from playing in the final.
It was a season that will be remembered for a long time in Flat Rock.
“There is no one else I would rather win or lose with,” said Reagan Higdon, one of just two seniors on the Flat Rock roster. “We were glad to get here. I think nerves got to us.”
“We came together so much,” added Jaclynn Motyka. “All of us are like sisters.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Flat Rock falls to Country Day in Division 2 state volleyball final
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
