FLAT ROCK – It was one team’s match, then another’s, and by the fourth set it looked like it was anyone’s game on Tuesday night down in Flat Rock.

Fresh off their first district title since 2021, the Flat Rock girls volleyball team welcomed in Wixom St Catherine for the second of two Division 2 regional semifinal matchups. And after a bit of up-and-down play early on, the hometown Rams moved one step closer to their first-ever regional crown, downing the visiting Stars 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-11, 25-19) to advance through in the state tournament.

“I told the girls we were on a bit of a rollercoaster, especially in that second set,” Flat Rock coach Morgan Delhey said. “We were happy we got out of it, but we definitely need more for Thursday.”

After a few quick ties early to start the evening, Flat Rock pulled ahead 7-3 behind the serving of Sarah Giroux and never really looked back. St Catherine battled back to make it a 10-8 game, but the Rams quickly re-extended their lead and cruised to the 25-17 win after taking advantage of some Star miscues.

If the visitors maybe weren’t ready in the opening set, they sure were in the second as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead before allowing the regional hosts to creep back into it. The Rams regained composure and went on a 10-5 run to put themselves within three, but this time it was the Stars taking advantage of miscues from the opposition late to even the match up at one set apiece.

“We just told the girls it’s not about what’s on the other side of the court, it’s the team on our side that we’re playing against,” St Catherine coach Jayson Oliver said. “We knew they had a good outside hitter and we were just trying to contain (Giroux) a little bit.”

Flat Rock returned the favor in the third set, going on a 6-0 run of their own to set the tone while barely letting St Catherine get into the double digits.

The Stars attempted to put together a late push and an ace from Scarlett Paquette made it 22-11, but they were too far behind as a push over the net from Reagan Higdon ended the set in favor of the Rams.

The final set saw the teams tied a dozen times before either side got to 15 points. As things got heated, each side tried to stay calm.

“We missed three serves during those first 15 points, so we were stopping ourselves from going on those runs,” Delhey said. “We had to be able to string together some runs, while also playing it a bit safe with our serve.

“We did just that and that’s where we kind of took off after that.”

Led again by Giroux, Flat Rock broke the 12-12 tie and cruised from there. St Catherine got to within four, but a solid tip from Zoe Ryan and an ace from Higdon all but secured the win.

With the loss, St. Catherine finished 22-13-1 on a season that included the program’s third straight district title. And with just three seniors, the future looks bright for the folks from Wixom.

“Our team is young,” Oliver said. “We did have three seniors playing, but I have a freshman on the court and three sophomores playing. Just the maturity level and making some plays – we will definitely grow.”

In the win, the Rams had two players in double-double stats.

Lily Klein finished the night with 10 kills and five blocks, while Higdon and Giroux each turned in double-doubles, combining for 29 kills and 24 digs.

“Three people being in double digit for kills is absolutely what we needed to do,” Delhey said. “I’m happy for Zoe, who had 28 assists too, so she did a good job adjusting, and Lily with our block – that was something we really stressed this week.”

UP NEXT

With the win, Flat Rock (34-7) moves on in the D2 state tournament bracket to face an all-too-familiar opponent in the regional finals when they take on Milan.

Earlier in the evening, Milan took care of Dearborn Divine Child in four sets in what was another Huron League-Catholic League semifinal matchup. It will be the fourth meeting between the two Huron League rivals, including two wins for Milan in Huron League play.

“It’s going to be a battle either way,” Delhey said. “They know our weaknesses, but also our strong suits. We have a bit of a game plan, but whether we execute will be up to the girls- they know they’re capable, it’s just being able to put it together.”

Game time is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov 13 back at Flat Rock High School.

It was back-to-back “Huron League vs Catholic League” matchups for a pair of Division 2 girls volleyball regional semifinal tilts Tuesday night at Flat Rock High School.

The nightcap of said matchups pitted the hometown Rams, fresh off their first district championship in four years, welcoming in a steady Wixom St Catherine program that had won its third consecutive district title overall.

A tightly-contested battle early on eventually saw Flat Rock, who finished the season ranked No. 10 in D2 according to the Michigan Volleyball Coaches Association, advancing through with a win in four sets over the visiting Stars from St Catherine (25-17, 15-25, 25-11, 25-19).

Photo gallery is courtesy of Samantha Elliott.