Two Volleyball Regionals in Battle Creek, Six Area Squads Remain
The second week of the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Volleyball postseason has arrived and half a dozen area squads will look to advance to the final week of the playoffs.
While the road ends at Kellogg Arena for the State Semifinals and Finals from November 19th through the 21st, two of the Regional sites will also be held in the Cereal City. Two City teams remain with four others in the area that have been prominent figures in the volleyball postseason for several years.
Among the City squads, the Harper Creek Beavers make their first Regional appearance since 2016. They host their Regional this week and open with South Haven with an opportunity to take on Hamilton, currently ranked eighth in the state.
The other squad, perennial Division 4 powerhouse St. Philip, has reached the Regionals for the 20th consecutive season. The Division 4 honorable mention opens with seventh-ranked New Buffalo with a chance to play conference rival Athens or upstart Martin. Athens upset top-ranked Mendon in their District Final last week in five games.
As for the four area squads, Gull Lake is back to the site of last year's Division 1 Regional at Lakeview. The Blue Devils make their fifth straight Regional appearance that also included a State Quarterfinal appearance in 2018. It's an open field with unranked squads with DeWitt as the opener Tuesday.
The other Division 2 squad for our area is the Marshall Redhawks, who finished the regular season with an honorable mention nod. It's the fourth straight Regional appearance and it's another rematch with Lake Odessa Lakewood, who has eliminated them each of the last three seasons. The Vikings are ranked second in D2 and were runner-up to Grand Rapids Christian, their fourth runner-up in the last six seasons.
Can Bronson bring the State title home again like 2014 through 2018? The Vikings make their seventh straight Regional and also enter with an honorable mention in the state rankings in Division 3. The Purple and Gold are favored, but could run into their biggest challenge if they advance beyond this week.
And as mentioned before, Athens shocked the top team in Division 4 to advance to their first Regional since 2016. The Indians open with the Martin Clippers, who swept through their home District last week.
Here's the complete Regional schedules for our local teams -
Division 1 Regional at Lakeview
Gull Lake vs. DeWitt - Tuesday 7 p.m.
Winner plays Jackson Northwest or Portage Central in District Final - Thursday 6:30 p.m.
Division 2 Regional at Harper Creek
Harper Creek vs. South Haven - Tuesday 7 p.m.
Winner plays Edwardsburg or Hamilton in District Final - Thursday 6:30 p.m.
Division 2 Regional at Lake Odessa Lakewood
Marshall vs. Lake Odessa Lakewood - Tuesday 5 p.m.
Winner plays Lansing Catholic or Blissfield in District Final - Thursday 6 p.m.
Division 3 Regional at Brooklyn Columbia Central
Bronson vs. Grass Lake - 5:30 p.m.
Winner plays Brooklyn Columbia Central or Bath in District Final - Thursday 7 p.m.
Division 4 Regional at Climax-Scotts
St. Philip vs. New Buffalo - Tuesday 4:30 p.m.
Athens vs. Martin - Tuesday 6:30 p.m.
District Final - Thursday 5 p.m.
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