MENDON — Mendon senior Gracie Schultz believes she focuses more when playing in big games.
It showed on Tuesday evening when the top-ranked Hornets beat visiting Battle Creek St. Philip, ranked third, in four sets. The matchup of highly ranked teams had emotion throughout the gym, ranging from the fans in the stands, including the student sections, to the student-athletes on the floor.
“I think it’s really fun. This is going to be one of my favorite matches that I will have played, I think,” Schultz said. “I love the student sections, I love the full crowd. I think it helps me focus more, the high-pressure games.”
Mendon won the opening set at 25-18. Following that, Battle Creek St. Philip won the second at 25-16. In each game, the winning team seized control and did not let the other gain any type of traction.
“I thought we had moments where our offense flowed and we executed really well. At other times, we got caught in bad rotations, and it hurt us a bit,” Mendon coach Kenny Herbert said. “But we bounced back after that second set. We rebounded well and got the win.”
The Lady Hornets claimed wins at 25-16 in the third and 25-21 in the fourth to seal the victory.
Senior libero Jadyn Samson said she was happy with the performance of the team. She was also pleased with the crowd from both schools who showed up for the match.
“The atmosphere was great; we haven’t had a showing out like this all year, and we felt like it was going to be a good match,” she said. “I think it makes it more fun when the support is there.”
The Hornets knew St. Phil would go to its bread and butter in the match, mainly hitting through the middle.
“We knew when they were in system, we’d have some troubles. When they’re in system, they can really score in the middle, and it’s tough to stop,” Samson said of St. Phil. “When they are able to run that consistently through the middle, it’s tough to stop.”
Schultz finished with a team-high 20 kills and 23 digs. Cienna Nightingale tallied 12 kills with five blocks. Kayrssa Holtz totaled 39 assists with five aces, Lashell Blair scored eight kills for the Hornets, Brooke Gerth finished with five kills and five dives and Jadyn Samson totaled 16 digs and scored four aces.
“I think our kids are very level-minded, and we handled it well tonight. We showed we can battle back through some things,” Herbert said. “We’re balanced, and that helps make us better, but we’re also looking to get better every day.”
Back on Saturday, Mendon traveled to Schoolcraft College (Livonia) and played in the Division Showcase, finishing with a 3-2 record. The Hornets won over Monstrose and Cass City, plus Pewamo-Westphalia. They dropped matches to Grass Lake and in the semifinals to Plymouth Christian.
Schultz scored 38 kills on the day with 37 digs. Gerth finished with six kills and 14 digs, Samson added 56 digs with 13 assists and Nightingale added 27 kills with 28 digs. Holtz handed out 74 assists with 20 digs, while Blair added 21 kills.
Mendon is now 21-3-1 on the season.
Other local matches
Constantine beat up on Lawton on Tuesday night, winning in three sets at 25-11, 25-21 and 25-14. Jaedyn Herlein scored five aces with 10 kills and two blocks, and Jaelyn Buglione recorded four aces with six kills. Anndee Evans handed out 19 assists with seven digs.
Burr Oak beat Bellevue on Tuesday in four sets, winning 25-15, 14-25, 25-21 and 25-18. Makaila Hines had a team-high 12 kills in the match with 15 digs, while Peyton Roggow added nine kills with 14 digs and four aces. Linda Ultra handed out 23 assists with eight kills and three aces, and Inez Ultz recorded five aces, six kills and eight digs. Makayla Ledyard finished with five digs and four assists.
Three Rivers won three matches at its own invitational Saturday. The Cats beat St. Philip and Loy Norrix, plus split with Eaton Rapids in pool play. The Cats then beat Bronson in the semifinals before falling to Hamilton in the finals in three sets. Miley Southland handed out 78 assists with 19 kills and 29 digs. Allie Yost scored 26 kills with 16 digs, while Dani Glass totaled 28 kills. Braylee Burg finished with 21 kills and 11 blocks.
Three Rivers dropped a match to Vicksburg 25-17, 25-22 and 25-17. Southland passed out 24 assists with 11 digs, London Hoffmaster totaled eight kills with two blocks and Glass and Yost both scored five kills. Three Rivers also beat St. Joseph on Monday in three sets. Southland was credited with 18 assists, five blocks and three kills, while Burg scored six kills. Both Yost and Hoffmaster added five kills.
Niles beat Sturgis in five sets, claiming a 15-10 victory in the fifth and final one. Angela Cary scored 15 kills for Sturgis in defeat, and Cora Phillips totaled 18 digs. Chloe Patrick passed out 24 assists.
Colon and White Pigeon met on the courts as well. The Chiefs won in three over Quincy, but the Magi beat the Chiefs in three as well. Kenlee Schrader passed out 32 assist with four kills in the match, while Kadance Smith and Sadie McDaniel each had 10 kills for White pigeon. Mable Post finished with eight kills and 25 digs.
White Pigeon then rebounded to win over Marcellus on Tuesday evening in three sets. Schrader handed out 17 assists with seven digs, six aces and six kills, and Smith scored a team-high seven kills. McDaniel finished with five kills and five aces, and Post had 11 digs while Emily Miller had five kills.
Colon got eight kills from Raegan Thaxton against White Pigeon, and she also scored nine kills against Quincy. Amya Johnson totaled a team-high 13 assists against the Chiefs. Taylor Wilson totaled eight aces against White Pigeon, and Jillian Stabler had 16 digs. Stabler had a team-high eight digs against Quincy.
Colon then fell to Climax-Scotts on Tuesday in five sets. Madison Kulpinski had a team-high 16 kills in the match, while Thaxton totaled 15 and Wilson added nine. Johnson passed out 19 assists, and Stabler had a team-high 18 digs.
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: Top-ranked Mendon volleyball takes care of No. 3 St. Philip at home
Reporting by Brandon Watson, Sturgis Journal / Sturgis Journal
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