CLEAN SWEEP: New-look Northville aces 1st test in state title defense

Debuting as a rare No. 3 seed in the District 23 volleyball tournament it’s hosting this week, defending state champion Northville’s roster has been overhauled a bit.

But the Mustangs proved they’re still dangerous.

Northville (20-13, according to MHSAA.com) prepped for Wednesday’s highly-anticipated district semifinal against No. 5-ranked South Lyon East (7 p.m. at Northville) with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canton.

Fueled by strong front-row play from Kaylyn Tuck, Elle Chenoweth and Charley Romeo; and superb defense from senior libero Giselle Burlingame and freshman defensive specialist Kaia Bednarz, Northville looks primed to give the Cougars all they can handle.

Ongoing transition

Transforming from a juggernaut to a very good team required an adjustment period, admitted Northville Head Coach Sarah Lindstrom.

“From our very first practice this season, everything felt different,” Lindstrom said in the wake of her team’s 25-11, 25-22, 25-13 triumph over the Cobras. “We immediately told our players, ‘Guys, this isn’t last year’s team, we don’t need to be last year’s team. We’re different in so many ways this year, but we’re better in some ways.

“For me, the struggle of figuring out the transition has been kind of exciting because we’re constantly figuring out new ways to motivate and find the right combinations.”

After a Sept. 11 loss to Clarkston, Northville had already lost as many matches (two) as it did throughout its glorious state title run — and its 13 losses are the program’s most in recent memory.

Records can be deceiving

But there is a method to the good-but-not-unbeatable season, Lindstrom shared.

“We play a very tough schedule for a reason,” she said, comparing her scheduling strategy to Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo’s. “Izzo takes losses early against really good teams because they prepare his teams better for the post-season. I admire him for that.

“We’ve lost a few more matches than we’re used to losing, but we haven’t had any bad losses. It’s been a fun, different year, which is why we do this. It’s not just to win it all every year; we know that’s not going to happen.

“What we do have going for us is we have a large group of players back from last year’s team who know what it takes to win in the post-season. We always receive the best effort from our opponents because they want to say they beat the defending state champs.”

Junior achievers

Lindstrom distributed high praise for her entire roster, particularly captains Burlingame and Chenoweth, and the team’s junior class, which numbers eight.

“I could talk all day about our juniors,” she said. “Every single one of them has been a perfect example of being great teammates. If they’re in the game, they’re playing their butts off. If they’re not in the game, they’re the loudest ones on the bench. Every one of them epitomizes a coach’s dream. They have a ‘I’ll run through a brick wall for you, coach’, mentality.”

Canton deserves some big-time props, too. After dropping the opening set 25-11, the Cobras battled kill-for-kill with the Mustangs in the second game, trailing just 22-21 late in a 25-22 setback.

Senior Abigail Valenzuela and junior Lily Swan were the Cobras’ catalysts, displaying the high-level skills they’ve maintained throughout the season.

Super-tough district

But in the end, they ran into a brick wall in the transitioning Mustangs, who are undoubtedly the best No. 3 district seed in the state.

“We kind of knew coming in that South Lyon East and South Lyon would be the top two seeds in the district, based on their records during the regular season,” Lindstrom said.

“We knew we’d have to beat them both in order to win the district. The order in which we played them didn’t really matter.”

Salem advanced to the district semis by sweeping P-CEP neighbor Plymouth in three sets. The Rocks will tangle with South Lyon in Wednesday’s 5 p.m. semifinal match.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.