Photo: StudentandAthlete
Farmington Hills Mercy players pose with their MHSAA regional championship trophy on Thursday.
Division 1 No. 1-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy powered to a 3-0 victory over Catholic High School League rival and No. 6-ranked Bloomfield Hills Marian in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Region 7 volleyball final at Marian on Thursday, Nov. 8.
Mercy won 25-17, 25-18, and 25-13 to improve to 52-2 on the season.
Junior Jess Mruzik finished with 17 kills, two aces and two blocks for the Marlins. Junior Kayla Shields had nine digs.
Sophomore Julia Bishop totaled 39 assists and five kills. Sophomore Charli Atiemo added 11 kills. Junior Kayla Shields had nine digs.
The win (Mercy’s sixth this season over Marian, not dropping a single
set) avenges a loss to the Mustangs in last year’s MHSAA semifinals. The Marlins swept the Mustangs 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, and 25-20) to repeat as CHSL A-B champions on Oct. 22.
“The feeling is unreal. Ever since last November when they knocked us out in the state semifinals, we’ve been waiting for this match,” Mruzik told reporters. “We were waiting to get our revenge on them. (Marian) played a really great match. I just think we were so mentally dialed in and we knew what we wanted to do.”
Mercy advances to face unranked Sterling Heights Stevenson in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at St. Clair Shores South Lake.
