BATTLE CREEK — The Leland Comets dug deep into their toolbag Friday afternoon.
Throughout the season, Leland varsity volleyball head coach Laurie Glass has given her five seniors and two juniors all the tools and motivation they need if they wanted to play in the state title game.
Now, they’re one win away from completing construction on a championship season the Comets have worked so hard to build.
“One thing we used as a team is playing one play at a time and using the ladder. It’s playing first to five, first to 10, first to 15, and just playing one point at a time,” senior Mallory Lowe said. “It helps us play steady with our game and keep our energy consistent.”
The fifth-ranked Comets (41-16-2) have just seven players on their roster with six of them on the court at any given time during competition. But the Magnificent Seven’s energy was alive throughout a scrappy five-set battle against ninth-ranked Crystal Falls Forest Park on Friday.
The Comets edged out Crystal Falls by a 25-17, 17-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-9 final in the Division 4 state semifinals at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
“It’s crazy and unbelievable that we’ve made it here,” Lowe said. “Our whole season has been just working one game at a time. We’ve been waiting to play this game, and now it’s finally here. It’s an amazing opportunity, and I’m just so happy we’re able to play in this arena with the people I love playing with.”
Leland’s Magnificent Seven hasn’t gone more than four sets since the district quarterfinals against Lake Leelanau St. Mary, sweeping every opponent in their path since that match.
That changed Friday, but the Comets still came out on top.
Leland is set to appear in its 14th championship game in school history — the second most in MHSAA history — against Clarkston Everest Collegiate (30-4-2) on Saturday. First serve is slated for 10 a.m. at Kellogg Arena.
The Comets have won five state titles during that span, but they haven’t hoisted a championship trophy since 2015. Leland most recently came away with runner-up trophies in 2018 and ‘19.
Friday’s match entailed a ping pong of lead changes and ties, with the first and fifth sets being the only sets with zero lead changes.
Leland stormed out to a 7-1 lead in the first set and didn’t stop pouring on the points. The Trojans climbed from behind to cut it to 23-17, but the Comets rallied three straight with seniors Kelsey Allen and Shelby Plamondon leading the charge.
The Trojans and Comets traded blows in the second set after Forest Park started the match with a 1-0 lead.
The Comets jumped out front with several points before the Trojans made it 6-6 and regained the lead. The Comets never gained an advantage as the Trojans kept the momentum on their side throughout the entire set.
Leland jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set as Allen and seniors Fiona Moord and Olive Ryder started things off right. Forest Park climbed from behind to make it 5-5, but after multiple errors by the Trojans, the Comets went up 7-5. The Trojans cut the Comets’ lead to 15-14, but three straight errors from Forest Park helped the Comets go up 18-14.
The Trojans climbed back again to cut into the Comets’ 19-18 lead, but after a Moord kill and a serving ace from junior Abby Hicks, Leland rallied on a 6-0 run to take the set.
“Abby had a great match, and she turned it on. She got a little fire in her belly. She got after it from the serving line and put up some hittable balls, especially when it mattered the most,” Glass said. “You can see it in her eyes and celebration. That ignited a fire, and that’s difficult to do when she came from another school and didn’t know anyone when she got here. It speaks to how well the other players accepted her.”
Hicks finished with a game-high 43 assists, 11 digs and a kill.
The fourth set entailed six ties and a plethora of lead changes. The Comets started the set with a 1-0 lead after Allen got one of her 15 kills. Forest Park jumped out to a 3-2 lead before the Comets tied it 4-4.
The Trojans pounced out front and maintained a steady lead until Moord, Allen and Plamondon got involved to make it 17-17 after both teams tacked on more points and traded leads.
But after the Trojans tied it 20-20, they finished the set on a 5-0 run.
The final set had two ties and zero lead changes after the Comets started with a 1-0 lead. Forest Park tied it up 2-2, but Leland went on an 8-1 run to go up 9-3.
The Comets kept their foot on the gas the entire set with Allen getting the final kill to help send Leland to the championship game.
Moord finished with a game-high 19 kills, 15 digs and two blocks. Ryder finished with a team-high 27 digs, seven kills and an ace. Plamondon concluded the night with a trio of blocks and nine kills. Lowe had 14 digs and an ace. Junior Kally Sluiter collected 11 digs.
Glass has a wealth of championship experience under her belt with a team that hasn’t experienced a championship match.
The veteran coach credited the season to the work the seven players have put in and the assistant coaches for playing a pivotal role in getting the players ready.
The Leland assistant coaches are Travis Baker, Sarah Landry-Ryder, Ashley Heyboer, Jane Lang, Gwen Martin, Beth Osorio, Maggie Sanchez and Hanna Schaub.
Glass’s experience in the postseason has only helped the Magnificent Seven stay focused and ready for Saturday. Glass noted she tries to bring the players back down to Earth and remind them they still have one more game left.
“I told them, ‘You’ve played every game in high school volleyball that you possibly can, and you’re going to play one last time tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, you would’ve played every match you could’ve played this season,’” Glass said. “They’ve put themselves where they wanted to be at the end of the season, and we’re just going to do our job one more time.”
The Comets take the floor on Saturday against Clarkston Everest with a 10 a.m. start.