Six W. Oakland teams ousted from state tourney

Walled Lake Central fell in four games to Huron Valley Lakeland in a Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Class A district quarter-final on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

The Vikings won the first game, 27-25, but then fell in three straight games, 18-25, 11-25 and 18-25.

“The first game, we were intense and focused. However, we couldn’t keep the focus for the entire match, which has been an issue throughout the season. Lakeland was steady and consistent for the entire match and we weren’t,” Central Head Coach Cathy Johnson said.

Brittany Guldan had 14 kills, 17 assists and two aces for Central (25-15-3), while Catelyn Girard had nine kills and 21 assists.

Alex Picardal had 14 digs and an ace, while Katie Lusk had eight kills.

Last Tuesday marked the final match for Central’s seniors, including Guldan and Lusk.

“It has been a real pleasure to have both Brittany and Katie on our varsity squad for the past four years. They both have been very good leaders this year and really have contributed to making the Central volleyball program competitive again,” Johnson said.

“Catelyn has been outstanding also all year long and had a fantastic match against Lakeland. I know that Catelyn will work hard in the off-season to improve and will return next year for her senior season ready to lead the squad.”

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Huron Valley Milford advanced to an MHSAA Class A regional final, where it fell to Brighton in three games, 22-25, 22-25 and 14-25 at Fowlerville on Friday, Nov. 2.

The Bulldogs claimed their fourth straight district title with the victory, while the Mavericks saw their season end against a Kensington Lakes Activities Association (KLAA) West Division rival.

Milford advanced to the district final with a gritty five-game victory over Howell in a semi-final match on Thursday, Nov. 1.

The Mavs took the opening game, 25-22, before the Highlanders took the second game, 25-19.

Milford then won, 25-16, in the third game before Howell forced a tiebreaker with a 25-18 victory in the fourth game.

The Mavs clinched the match with a 15-12 victory in the fifth game.

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Despite a valiant effort, Walled Lake Northern fell in five games to host North Farmington in an MHSAA Class A district quarter-final on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

The Knights took the first game, 25-11, before the Raiders answered with a 25-23 victory in the second game.

Northern took the third set in dominating fashion, 25-6, before North Farmington rebounded with a 25-20 victory to force a tiebreaker.

The Raiders would eventually pull through with a 21-19 victory to take the match.

“The athletes accomplished some pretty amazing feats in this match and throughout the season. They did it by playing as a team, working through the challenges that teams and teammates face,” Northern Head Coach Gus Dumlao said after the Knights lost to his former team.

Peyton Lang led the Knights with 29 kills, three aces and 17 digs, while Katie Simon had 34 assists and Keara Boyle had three blocks.

Melissa Griffiths also had 21 digs for Northern, which finished 24-11-6 on the season.

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West Bloomfield fell to host Birmingham Seaholm in three games, 16-25, 11-25 and 19-25, on Tuesday, Oct. 30 in an MHSAA Class A district first round match.

“We came out strong in the first set but couldn’t put a string of points together,” Lakers’ Head Coach Julian Wargo said. “Seaholm’s service took out of our system play in the second set. They continued with strong hitting, finding the holes in our blocking. That gave them the momentum going into the third set.”

Jordan White led West Bloomfield (13-22-3) with five kills and 12 digs, while Tara Heald and Bri Benge combined for four blocks and Erin Myers had four aces.

“We have a solid group returning next year, so I have a lot to look forward to,” Wargo said. “We gained a ton of experience since the beginning of the season. I had a great group of seniors and will miss them all. It might not always show up on the scoreboard, but we always played as a team. I am very proud of that.”

Seaholm would go on to defeat Bloomfield Hills Andover and Bloomfield Hills Marian to claim the district title.

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Waterford Mott defeated Pontiac in four games in an MHSAA Class A district quarter-final on Monday, Oct. 29 at Troy Athens.

However, the Corsairs were defeated by Troy in three games in a district semi-final on Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Troy would go on to defeat host Troy Athens in three games on Thursday, Nov. 1 to claim the district title.

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Waterford Kettering fell to Auburn Hills Avondale in five games in a Class A district quarter-final at Troy Athens on Monday, Oct. 29.