Division 2 volleyball: North Branch sweeps Grand Rapids West Catholic to repeat

Battle Creek — Top-ranked North Branch continued its dominance in Division 2, sweeping unranked Grand Rapids West Catholic 25-18, 25-14, 25-18 Saturday afternoon to repeat as state champions, winning its fourth title in the last 10 years.

North Branch (56-4-1) showcased a pair of Miss Volleyball finalists in setter Adrienne Greschaw and libero Hailey Green and the veterans played well, as did several of their teammates.

Sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Deshetsky had 14 kills and hit at an outstanding .355 clip with 5-foot-9 junior Clara Gyomory contributing nine kills with Greschaw distributing 33 assists.

Brooke Tietz had seven kills and Emma Tuttle, six kills and nine digs for West Catholic (38-10-6) which was making its first state title appearance and had its 21-match winning streak stopped.

“We spent a lot of time together the last four years and I’m sure they’re ready to move on from me, I know they are,” said North Branch veteran coach Jim Fish, who he said felt his team was the best ever in Division 2.

“We’re going to miss them dearly. They’ve accomplished so much in their four-year career, starting with our freshman year where we lost by two points in the fifth set to Notre Dame Prep. We had four freshmen on the floor and lost by two points to a senior-dominant team in the regional finals.”

Yes, after that loss in the regionals to Notre Dame Prep in 2020, North Branch made the trip to Battle Creek in 2021, defeating Lakewood in a semifinal before losing in the championship match to Notre Dame Prep with standout outside hitter Alana Deshetsky playing despite a pair of torn meniscus.

North Branch then made a return trip to Kellogg Arena last year and got the job done, defeating Cadillac in the title match, before repeating this season.

“This year we were ranked No. 1 the whole season, so this year was different because we’ve been at the very bottom, honorable mention with little freshmen on the court,” Alana Deshetsky said.

“This year as seniors these teams have been playing us for four years and so these teams scouted us very hard, like all season long. In the last tournament before postseason there was like five cameras on our court, so this postseason was difficult because teams knew us as much as they could inside and out. They knew what we could do because when you’re at the top you’re the target. We knew people were coming for us and that’s what drove us.”

West Catholic coach Megan Eversman was proud of her team in defeat.

“North Branch is a super good volleyball club, and I think our kids gave a fight as hard as they could fight against that team and I’m just proud of their efforts this season,” Eversman said.

david.goricki@detroitnews.com