MONROE — Things are coming together for St. Mary Catholic Central’s volleyball team.
The defending Division 3 state champion has been forced to piece together its lineup this season because of injuries and illness.
The Kestrels put their full lineup on the court for the first time this season last weekend when they won the Bedford Spooktacular.
SMCC showed just how good it can be during a 25-19, 25-19, 24-26, 25-11 victory over Clinton in the finals of the Division 3 District it hosted on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Olivia Beaudrie and Madeline Dettling, two of the stars from last year’s championship team, missed significant parts of this season because of injuries.
Both are finally healthy for the state tournament.
“With Liv and Maddie, they understand what they need to do,” SMCC coach Kim Windham said. “It’s been nice to get them back. Now, we’re ready to go.”
And ready to go with a deeper lineup.
Other players emerged when Beaudrie and Dettling were out, giving Windham more options. She now is using a 10-player rotation.
“We had four girls who played all the way around last year, so I am using more this year,” Windham said.
SMCC commanded the first two sets, then fell into a 13-10 hole in the third. The Kestrels came back to take a lead in the late stages of the set, but Clinton was able to pull out the win.
There was no doubt in the decisive fourth set as SMCC dominated.
“We’ve got to be better and minimizing our errors, but we played with a lot of energy,” Windham said.
Dettling (26 kills, 14 digs, .383 hitting percentage) and Olivia Beaudrie (10 kills, 19 digs) led the Kestrels. Adela Illes put away 17 kills and Quinn Harrington had 10. Assist leaders were Alexa Turner with 32 and Reese Foster with 29.
It was the 24th consecutive District championship for SMCC, a streak that started in 2002.
SMCC heads to Clinton at 7 p.m. Tuesday for regional action.
It opens against Grass Lake. A win would send the Kestrels into Thursday’s 7 p.m. finals against Hanover Horton or Jackson Lumen Christi.
DIVISION 2
Flat Rock takes title
ROMULUS – Morgan Delhey was an assistant to her sister Mckenzie Kaiser when Flat Rock won its last district title four years ago.
She got to experience that joy as a head coach when the Rams beat Grosse Ile 25-8, 25-9, 25-13 in the finals of the Division 2 District at Romulus.
“The girls were ready to play,” Delhey said. “They came in knowing to not take it lightly. They had to earn another practice.”
Sarah Giroux had another big night with 17 kills, a .406 hitting percentage, 5 digs, 2 aces and 1 block.
Lily Klein hit at a .450 clip with 7 kills and 2 blocks. Zoe Ryan contributed 13 assists, 6 digs, 4 kills and an ace.
Flat Rock gets to return home for regional competition next week.
It will play Wixom St. Catherine at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The first game of a semifinal doubleheader that night features Milan and Dearborn Divine Child.
DIVISION 1
Bedford stumbles in rematch
BELLEVILLE – Bedford beat Saline twice during the regular season, but didn’t have the same magic in the finals of the Division 1 District at Belleville.
The Mules fell 26-24, 17-25, 25-22, 25-11 on Friday, Nov. 7.
“Tough loss,” Bedford coach Bree Russow said. “I knew going in beating a team for a third time would be hard. Saline played very well. It was an intense environment and some good volleyball back and forth.”
Lucy Monahan (12 kills, 6 digs), Blair Russow (26 digs), Ellerie King (16 digs) and Hayden Fausze (8 kills) were leaders for the Mules, who finish with a 30-15-1 record.
“We made huge strides this season,” Russow said. “I know this wasn’t the outcome we wanted but overall the girls competed and improved all year. We were a different team from day one till today and that was our main goal. Tonight just wasn’t our night.”
DIVISION 1
Huron bows out
TRENTON – New Boston Huron’s first season under coach Devon Newman came to an end with a loss to the host team in the Division 1 District at Trenton.
The Chiefs fell 25-18, 25-21, 25-17 on Friday, Nov. 7.
“We just did not play very well offensively,” Newman said. “We had some really good defense.”
Simone Cicotte was the leader for Huron.
“She was dominant,” Newman said. “She was aggressive all night long, a constant threat.”
Addison McFadden and Addison Beddow also played well as Huron finished 22-12-1.
“We really had great group of girls,” Newman said. “They stayed focused all year. The were very driven, determined and very coachable.”
PREP SWIMMING
Monroe’s Dowen honored
ANN ARBOR – Monroe’s Erin Dowen was named Coach of the Year in the Southeastern Conference Red after the Trojans posted their best score ever in the league meet on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Sophia Smith led the Trojans with lifetime bests in the 50 and 100-yard freestyles. Delani Willey, Abby Dieckmann, Morgan Kleinow, Emma Boyd and Nikki Rykse also had strong performances.
“Monroe is starting to believe in themselves again,” Dowen said. “We are prideful that we are Trojans. They gave their all again – they continued to make me the proudest coach on deck.”
BOXING
Miller suffers first loss
FORT WORTH, Texas – Monroe’s Derick Miller suffered the first loss of his professional career Saturday, dropping a unanimous decision to undefeated Robin Safar, who improved to 19-0 with 13 knockouts.
Judges gave the bout to Safar by scores of 98-91, 99-90, and 99-90.
Miller’s record dipped to 18-1.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Results of Monroe County Region high school volleyball districts
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
