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FARMINGTON HILLS – Coming off a Division 1 state championship in 2023, Farmington Hills Mercy may be even stronger in 2024. The Marlins graduated just two from last year’s squad and are already looking in postseason form. Top-ranked and unbeaten Mercy made a big statement on Wednesday night when they swept No.
4 Birmingham Marian in their annual rivalry game, 25-15, 25-15, 25-21. These two used to meet twice during the regular season, but with the expansion of the CHSL in 2023, this rivalry only occurs once prior to the postseason. Related Articles High School Sports | Photo gallery of No.
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It’s a great environment every time and it’s such a great experience for both teams. We’re all very fortunate to be part of such a special event each year.” Mercy (2-0 CHSL) is led by its standout senior setter, Campbell Flynn.
The Nebraska commit and Miss Volleyball finalist ran a smooth offense throughout Wednesday’s match to keep Marian on its heels. Flynn established one of the new pieces to the lineup, 6’4” senior middle Ella Andrews, to start the match. Andrews, who had to sit out 2023 due to transfer rules, put down a pair of kills and a block to put Mercy up in the first set.
The Marlins would put the first set away thanks to an 8-0 run midway through that was highlighted by three aces from senior Jillian Collins. Flynn then went to sophomore outside Kate Kalczynski to wrap things up. Kalczynski was one of the leading hitters for Mercy as a freshman and looks even stronger this fall.
She had six kills in the opening set to give the Marlins the win. “Kate came back taller and stronger,” Vogel said of her sophomore. “Last year, as a freshman, she wasn’t real big.
But, she really put in the time over the last year to get stronger. She works out a lot and you can really tell when she pounds the ball.” The second set was similar, as Marian (1-1 CHSL) held its own early, but allowed the Marlins to go on a run late to pull away.
“The first two sets, we were in there for the first half of both sets,” Marian coach Mayssa Cook said. “We just allowed one or two servers get runs on us. At the end of the day, we made too many unforced errors.
We made hitting errors that (Mercy) didn’t make.” Mercy continued its serving advantage to pull away in the second. Kalczynski had four aces in the set, including three as part of a 7-1 rally.
For the match, Mercy had a 10-1 edge in aces. The Mustangs had a 10-4 lead in the third set, but couldn’t keep the Marlins at bay for long enough. Flynn went back to Kalczynski, who put down another six kills in the third to lead Mercy to the sweep.
“I didn’t think she would get better, but she did. She got so much better,” Flynn said of Kalczynski. “She just keeps excelling each and every day.
I am just really proud of her for how far she has come.” Kalczynski finished with a match-high 17 kills to lead the Marlins, while Flynn tallied 29 assists with five kills. Andrews had six kills and five blocks, while junior Cree Hollier added six kills of her own.
Marian was led by senior Isabelle Busignani, another Miss Volleyball finalist, who had 12 kills. Sophomore Calli LeFevre had five kills with three blocks. Jayla Zayti had four kills, three of which came in the third set when Marian jumped out to the quick lead.
“Set three, we came out with a little more intensity. We just let our foot off the gas a little too soon,” Cook said. These two could meet again during the CHSL postseason tournament, while a MHSAA playoff meeting wouldn’t occur until the state semifinals in Battle Creek.
Cook knows her team has work to do to catch the Marlins, but was still encouraged by what she saw from her squad on Wednesday. Photo gallery of No. 1 Farmington Hills Mercy vs.
No. 4 Birmingham Marian in CHSL volleyball action /*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.
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“I’m quite hopeful. Every team has their weaknesses. We have the pieces, we have the parts and the talent and the skill to beat a team like Mercy.
We just have to grind a little harder and side out sooner.” The Marlins definitely look like the team to beat in Division 1 this season, but Vogel says the team isn’t focused on repeating as state champions. “We don’t really talk about it.
Last year was last year. We smiled until Aug. 10 when we had our first day of tryouts,” Vogel said.
“Each day in practice, we just focus on certain items within our team and everyone stays grounded in that way. It’s about what we have to do that day to get better.”.
