BATTLE CREEK — The Mendon volleyball team will play for a Division 4 state championship on Saturday morning.
It’s not the first time this group of Hornets has played for a state title, but it will be the first for them on the volleyball court.
Mendon will face off against Fowler inside Kellogg Arena in the first of four MHSAA state volleyball finals matchups on Saturday, Nov. 22. A handful of the Hornets on this team have played in the pinnacle of softball at Secchia Stadium on the campus of Michigan State University. It’s helped fuel the drive for the Hornets to this point in the volleyball season. On Thursday, Nov. 20, the Hornets took out Ubly in three sets at 25-18, 25-22, 27-25.
“I think we’re used to the pressure now. It’s like, yeah we’re playing in the state championship, but we’ve already done that so what is there to lose at this point,” Jadyn Samson said. She wasn’t being dismissive of her opponents, but rather upbeat about her team’s potential. “We’re just gonna go out there and play our game no matter what.”
Mendon coach Kenny Herbert was pleased with his team’s efforts on Thursday afternoon.
“We knew it was gonna be a battle, they have really impressive middles,” he said of Ubly. “That was our gameplay going in, we wanted to defend them. We knew we were gonna have to be scrappy and I thought we did an amazing job of that today.”
Mendon controlled the first set, jumping out to an early lead and riding its momentum to a comfortable win. Gracie Schultz said the team was looking forward to playing in the contest and once things got started, Mendon knew it was in a good position.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without the leadership of our captains,” Herbert said. “They understand every expectation and what’s asked of them.”
Despite being in Kellogg Arena for the first time, the Hornets were looking forward to the match.
“I was really excited to come play. I didn’t really have the nerves until the national anthem, that’s where I get the nerves, but we knew if we played our game, we should get them,” she said. “I think we did exactly what we practiced for the last two weeks. I thought the defense went really well.”
Ubly, which was ranked third overall in the final Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association poll, made a bit of a run in the second set. The Hornets knew they would make a run, but were able to thwart it and come out ahead in a 25-22 finish.
At one point, Ubly took a 19-17 lead in that set, forcing a Mendon timeout from Herbert. The Hornets responded.
“It was huge,” Cienna Nightingale said of the flip following the timeout. “We didn’t want to play anymore than we had to play, we wanted to get it done as early as we can. We had composure, like he (Herbert) said, after that timeout.”
Mendon would score eight of the next 11 points to win the set.
Mendon spoke about taking the punch from Ubly, reacting as best it could and just leaving everything out on the floor.
“You just gotta be strong mentally. Once the match starts, you just put the jitters away and play your game,” Brooke Gerth said. “Once you’re on that court, everything just goes away and you just play your game.”
Serve-receive has always been a big part of Mendon’s success, especially in the post season. Herbert said his team was a “10 out of 10” on the day in that regard. The Hornets passed the ball really well out of first contact as well, he said. Because volleyball is such a game of momentum, serve-receive is important to a team’s success.
Herbert said both were important on Thursday. He also felt Mendon playing strong defense helped with the win.
“We’re kind of a defensive team. Getting points is about putting the ball away and managing the ball and I thought we execute well,” Herbert said. “These guys just know how to absorb what I tell them.”
The third set saw Ubly score the opening six points, forcing a Herbert timeout. It helped Mendon get back in the game as they eventually tied it up at 14. But through the next portion of the set, Ubly regained momentum and eventually built a 20-16 edge, forcing Herbert’s last timeout.
The seniors then stepped up before Ubly reached set point at 24-23. Schultz scored consecutive kills before Ubly tied it again at 25-25. But freshman Sabrina Monroy scored a kill and then Karyssa Holtz served an ace to send Mendon to the finals.
The Hornets were led by Schultz with 18 kills, she had 14 digs as well. Blair totaled 10 kills while Nightingale and Gerth each had six. Nightingale had 15 digs as well while Monroy had four kills, Samson scored a team-high 23 digs. Holtz had two kills with 40 assists and six digs, Graye Lukeman was in on 10 digs.
Mendon recorded 12 blocks as a team.
“Our team has a lot of heart and we do it for each other, not for ourselves. We are such a team, a legit team,” Samson said. “Sometimes you don’t get that. We all do it for each other, I think that’s the most important part.”
Mendon and Fowler are set to play at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
“It’s the biggest match of the season, it’s the state finals,” Herbert said. “We got to watch them a little bit today and tomorrow will be game-planning for them. We know where they’re strong, we know where we feel like we can attack. We’re gonna go execute that in practice and be ready to play on Saturday.”
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Mendon volleyball reaches state finals match, will play Fowler Saturday
Reporting by Brandon Watson, Sturgis Journal / Sturgis Journal
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